adminAston Villa’s difficult start to the new Premier League season took another painful turn as Nottingham Forest secured a dramatic 2-1 victory at Villa Park.
Defender Tyrone Mings summed up the mood around the stadium at full-time as he slumped to the floor, with Villa suffering their third defeat in their opening four league games.
The result has immediately increased the pressure on Unai Emery following a summer of major changes at the club.
Villa did finally end their run of 372 Premier League minutes without scoring, but their problems were far from solved.
In fact, if Coventry beat Brighton on Sunday, Emery’s side will drop to the bottom of the Premier League table.
It is also the fourth time Aston Villa have started a top-flight campaign without winning any of their opening four matches, having previously done so in 1992-93, 1997-98 and 2025-26.
That will make the situation even more concerning for a side that finished fourth last season and celebrated a historic Europa League triumph.
Those celebrations from May already feel like a distant memory.
Forest punish Villa again
Nottingham Forest produced a strong performance and deservedly left Villa Park with all three points.
Liam Delap scored just 45 seconds after the restart, before Brazilian youngster Alysson equalised with his first goal in English football.
Villa appeared to have a chance of completing a comeback, but Forest continued to threaten and eventually found the decisive goal.
Igor Jesus pounced ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka with just two minutes remaining to secure Forest’s first victory at Villa Park since 1994.
The visitors had 22 shots and registered 32 touches inside Villa’s penalty area, highlighting just how much pressure Emery’s side struggled to handle.
Things became even more difficult for Villa after Ian Maatsen was forced off with an ankle injury.
Because Emery had already used all of his substitutes, Villa were forced to finish the match with 10 men.
The injury could also become another major concern, with fears that Maatsen could now face a considerable spell on the sidelines.
Emery furious over VAR decision
After the match, Emery was clearly unhappy with the challenge from Forest attacker James McAtee that left Maatsen injured.
The Villa boss argued that the tackle should have resulted in a red card after VAR intervention.
However, despite his frustration with the decision, Emery refused to use it as an excuse for Villa’s defeat.
“When we equalised the match could change but we finished with Ian Maatsen injured and with 10 players, we conceded so many chances in the last minutes and they scored the second goal and deserved it,” Emery said.
“But after watching it on TV, I think the VAR should call the referee because it’s a clear tackle behind the player and, for me, it should be a red card.”
Emery continued to insist that the situation could have been different had Forest also been reduced to 10 men.
But then came the part of his assessment that exposed just how concerned he was about Villa’s performance.
“It’s not an excuse how we play the second half,” he admitted.
“We played so, so poor, and this is our work and our responsibility or my responsibility.”
Those words were already enough to raise eyebrows among Villa supporters.
But Emery then made a much more revealing admission about his own future.
Emery makes SHOCK admission about his Aston Villa future
With Villa now facing serious questions after another disappointing result, Emery was asked about his position and whether he remained confident that he would continue in charge.
His response immediately added another layer of drama to an already difficult night.
“If the board want me to continue I will be more than happy to continue but the decision is not mine,” Emery said.
“If they think it is best for their team to sack me today, tomorrow I will look back and say I’m proud of what I achieved for the club.”
The comments will inevitably leave Aston Villa supporters wondering whether Emery genuinely believes his position could now be under consideration.
The Spaniard has delivered some of the greatest moments Villa have enjoyed in recent years, including Champions League qualification and their historic European triumph.
But the start to this season has been alarming.
Villa have now failed to win any of their first four Premier League matches, while their home form is becoming an increasingly serious concern.
Villa Park no longer the fortress it once was
Aston Villa had not lost a home league game for 12 months before Crystal Palace defeated them 3-0 last August.
Since then, Villa Park has become far less intimidating for visiting teams.
Villa lost four of their final 15 home league games last season, while they also needed late goals to rescue a point against Leeds and defeat Brighton and Sunderland.
Their 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Newcastle further exposed their weaknesses at home.
This season, they have already lost 1-0 at Villa Park to reigning champions Arsenal before Forest returned to Birmingham and secured another victory.
There are mitigating circumstances.
Villa have undergone significant changes to their squad following several important departures, while redevelopment of the North Stand has reduced the stadium’s capacity and left one end without supporters.
But the decline at Villa Park is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Only months ago, Villa were celebrating one of the most memorable periods in the club’s recent history.
They demolished Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final, defeated Liverpool to secure Champions League football and eventually lifted European silverware.
Now, however, Emery is facing questions about how quickly that momentum has disappeared.
Emery searching for answers
Villa introduced several attacking players in an attempt to change the game.
Nicolas Jackson was withdrawn at half-time, with Emery concerned that the Senegal striker could be sent off after receiving an early yellow card.
Tammy Abraham replaced him despite being a player Emery had wanted to sell during the summer.
Alysson then came on and eventually scored Villa’s equaliser, while Johan Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye were introduced for their debuts.
Alejandro Garnacho, meanwhile, remained an unused substitute.
None of those changes could prevent Forest from controlling the decisive stages of the match.
Centre-back Pau Torres had already been replaced in the first half, leaving Villa increasingly short of defensive options, while summer signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis was once again omitted from the squad.
Villa will now turn their attention to Wednesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Coventry before facing Tottenham in the Premier League.
Those matches could prove important as Emery attempts to find a solution to Villa’s sudden decline.
Yet after watching his side lose another home game, the normally composed Spaniard was left searching for answers.
“I don’t know why,” Emery said when asked why Villa had lost their shape.
“I want to see the match again and to understand why we lost our shape.”
For a manager who has provided solutions to so many problems during his Aston Villa tenure, Emery is now facing one of the biggest challenges of his time at the club.
And with Villa’s poor start continuing to pile pressure on him, his own admission that the decision over whether he stays or is sacked ultimately belongs to the board has suddenly made his future one of the biggest talking points in English football.
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Abdulhafiz Teslim
