Aston Villa’s difficult Premier League start continued on Saturday as Nottingham Forest claimed a 2-1 victory at Villa Park, leaving Unai Emery’s side with just one point from four league matches.
Summer signing Ibrahim Mbaye provided one of the few genuine positives on an otherwise frustrating afternoon for Villa supporters inside the ground.
Emery had hoped to build momentum following Villa’s Champions League win against Club Brugge, but another league defeat has only deepened concerns about their domestic form.
Villa showed promise in the early stages, with Matz Sels producing a brilliant double save to deny Victor Lindelof before diving across to push away a Ross Barkley strike.
The hosts were further disrupted when Pau Torres was forced off through injury, bringing Tyrone Mings into action during the first half.
Forest gradually gained control and took the lead immediately after the interval, with Liam Delap allowed room outside the area to punish Villa with a powerful 25-yard shot which flew beyond Zion Suzuki.
Emery responded by sending on Mbaye and Johan Manzambi shortly after the hour mark as Villa searched for greater speed and imagination in attack.
The changes transformed the mood inside the stadium, with Mbaye immediately playing with a directness and urgency that had been missing from Villa’s attacking play.
Speaking after the match on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, Clinton Morrison said the summer signing from PSG “gave the fans a big lift” and was “lively.”
Mbaye tested Sels with a fierce effort which the goalkeeper could only turn behind, and his driving run also helped create the passage of play that led to Alysson’s equaliser.
John McGinn delivered from the corner and Alysson guided his header into the bottom corner in the 74th minute, which was Villa’s first Premier League goal of the season.
Villa Park had become flat after Delap’s opener, yet Mbaye’s direct approach gave supporters something to respond to and placed Forest under increasing pressure.
Their hopes of claiming all three points were severely damaged when Ian Maatsen was unable to continue after Emery had already used all five substitutions.
Forest exploited the extra-man advantage in the 88th minute, with Daniel Munoz and Morgan Gibbs-White combining to create the winner for Igor Jesus.
Mbaye was released for one final Villa chance during stoppage time, though his low attempt was gathered comfortably by Sels to ensure Forest took all three points.
There were signs of inexperience from the young winger, particularly in that late moment, but those should not overshadow what was an encouraging first appearance in Villa colours.
Villa attacked space, carried possession towards the penalty area and showed a willingness to shoot when openings appeared, with Mbaye leading that charge from the bench.
The result has increased the pressure on Emery following another damaging league defeat, but Mbaye’s debut gave the club and its supporters genuine reason for optimism going forward.
On this evidence, the summer arrival from PSG has quickly made a strong case for more minutes and could soon be pushing for his first Villa start in the Premier League.