Nottingham Forest Triumphs Over Aston Villa: Glasner's Unbeaten Streak Against Emery

Oliver Glasner walked out of Villa Park on Saturday with another win over Unai Emery – and another reminder to himself to stay grounded.

The 2-1 victory for Nottingham Forest stretched the Austrian’s unbeaten run against Emery to eight games. Across his time at Crystal Palace and now at the City Ground, Glasner has six wins and two draws against the former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain manager. On paper, it looks like dominance.

Glasner doesn’t see it that way.

Before kick-off, he shared a light moment with his opposite number, framed by Emery’s glittering European record. “I spoke to him before the game and told him that it was still 5-2 to him, in terms of European trophies won. I said to myself ‘Oliver Glasner, stay humble’,” he told reporters afterwards.

“I will stay that way. Every win is great, but I did not play one second today. The players deserve all the credit, because they did so well. Our fans deserve the credit, because they supported us. Now we will go home and have a lovely Saturday evening.”

Chaos on the eve of kick-off

The result looked impressive enough on its own. The story behind it made it even more so.

Forest’s preparation was shredded late on Friday night. Two key defenders, Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha, both suffered hamstring injuries in the final training session. The scans came back late. Very late.

“It was 9.30pm when we got the result of scans that told us that Jair Cunha and Nikola could not play,” Glasner revealed. Suddenly, the game plan had to be ripped up.

He went knocking. Literally.

“I knocked at Ola and Ousmane’s door and told them they would be playing. I spoke with Ola a little bit about playing in the back three. I told him I think he can.”

The reshuffle could have rattled a less resilient side. Instead, Forest leaned into it. The head coach made clear what pleased him most.

“We are pleased with the win, but much more pleased with the performance and most pleased with the resilience showed today,” he said.

Murillo’s pain, Forest’s gain

If the late injuries stretched Forest’s defensive resources, Murillo’s decision tipped the balance back their way.

The Brazilian centre-back was carrying a knee problem in training. With Milenkovic and Jair Cunha ruled out, his availability became non-negotiable.

“I can tell you now that Murillo had some pain in his knees before the game, in training. But he said ‘no, Gaffer, I will play’,” Glasner explained, a clear nod to the mentality running through his dressing room.

Murillo played. Forest held. And at the other end, they struck.

Goals from Liam Delap and Igor Jesus delivered a hard-fought 2-1 win, a result that not only extended Glasner’s remarkable personal record over Emery but also underlined Forest’s growing steel under the Austrian.

Aston Villa finished with ten men after Ian Maatsen went off injured, adding to the sense of a bruising afternoon for the hosts. Forest, by contrast, walked away with three points, another statement display and the feeling of a squad willing to push through the pain barrier for their manager.

Eyes already on Coventry

The celebrations in Nottingham will roll on through the weekend, but Glasner has already moved on to the next problem: who he will actually have available.

Forest face Coventry City on September 19, and the defensive picture remains complicated. Milenkovic, in particular, looks set for a short spell out.

“Nikola was a bit more serious and will miss the Coventry game. We are hopeful that he will be back after the international break,” Glasner said. “We hope Jair could be back for the Coventry game. But we have to be cautious. Let’s see.”

Another reshuffle may be coming. Another test of that resilience Glasner keeps talking about.

If Forest respond the way they did at Villa Park, what exactly might this season turn into?