Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Premier League – live | Premier League

71 mins: Kouyate takes a touch and whacks a shot from 20 yards but it is close to Martinez who holds on.

Surridge comes on for Dennis. No Awoniyi …

69 mins: Forest are avoiding fun at all costs by playing with 10 men behind the ball whenever Villa are in possession.

Watkins gets to the byline ahead of Cook and pulls the ball back into the box to McGinn who decides to go for a diving header despite the ball bouncing at knee height. An odd decision from the Villa skipper.

67 mins: Ings and Watkins v Cook and McKenna could be fun for the next 25 minutes.

65 mins: Forest have their first real spell of possession of the half, ending with a deep cross from Toffolo which is cleared. The ball comes back at Villa, culminating with Gibbs-White trying to curl a shot from 25 yards out with the outside of his boot into the top corner but it goes just wide.

Coutinho is replaced by Ings.

63 mins: It has been all Villa since the break. Is it time to bring on Awoniyi for Dennis to bring a more physical presence in the final third to help hold up the ball?

Does Peter Oh do funerals too?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “His punning will be the death of us, if watching this game doesn’t age us all prematurely first.”

If the price is right.

61 mins: A Villa corner is sent back to Luiz, the taker, he swings in a cross with his left foot for Watkins at the back post, he heads the ball back across goal but Henderson makes a fine save down to his left.

Konsa asks for a penalty after being caught by Yates in the box but the referee is not having it, which is lucky for Forest as contact was made.

59 mins: To be fair, Aurier looked decent at right-back but I think a lack of match fitness meant he had to come off, especially due to being on a booking.

57 mins: Ramsey fumes with Yates after being pushed over and Taylor is forced to intervene, awarding Villa a free-kick which comes to nothing.

Williams replaces Aurier at right-back. Looks like the Ivorian has an issue with his right leg, proved by the removal of a shed load of strapping.

55 mins: Forest get to the edge of the box but struggle to find a gap in the Villa defence and the visitors get rid.

53 mins: Villa look the livelier here. Can Forest match them?

51 mins: Ramsey spins Cook with ease to get into the box, allowing him to cross for Watkins but McKenna reads the danger and prevents a goal. Watkins does not help Ramsey by standing offside for a long time, forcing him to the delay the pass.

Forest break through Johnson but McGinn takes him out and is booked.

49 mins: Coutinho bursts into the box and takes aim from inside the box but he is off balance as he shoots and the ball flies well over the bar.

47 mins: Villa get an early corner thanks to good work from Cash. Luiz sends it into the box from the right but it is cleared.

Second half

“I had a classmate in high school for a year named Peter Oh, whose sensibility I am reminded of by the frequent MBM contributor. Can you ask him if he went to Dallas Jesuit in 1987 and, if he did, tell him Tom Sullivan says hi?”

Peter! Please tell me this is you and we are connecting people.

“It’s an ugly game, Will,” says Ben Watson, “but as a Forest fan I’d take that all day long of it means we don’t lose.

”Cash has nipped in too many times on Toffolo’s side, but other than that, and our total inability to defend the edge of box, we look ok.

”JLingz to get the winner?”

No one cares how a team wins, that is for sure. Lingard will come on at some point but he has looked underwhelming since signings.

Peter Oh is available for weddings, christenings and bat mitzvahs: “Villa’s back four are Young at heart and enjoy a healthy Cash flow, but they will need to turn Mings around quickly if they want to avoid the Konsa-quences of giving anything less than 100% against a determined opponent. “

Nostalgic.

Kári Tulinius says: “Forest are much improved. This is the first time I’ve watched them this season and thought they had a chance to stay up. However, I’m starting to get a bad feeling about Villa. It’s a team with plenty of skilful players, but the build-up play is so aimless that there’s rarely any space to create a chance.”

“Awful game so far…” says John Ryan. “Instead of goals, could we just do shots on target, like first to five wins? Having said that no, we could be here till next week then…”

Email Richard Masters.

The good news is that Forest look far more disciplined in formation this time around.

Half-time: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa

45 mins: Two minutes added on.

44 mins: Konsa sends a fine pass through a gap for Cash who pulls the ball back into the box but Freuler reads the danger and clears for a corner. The corner is well worked but Douglas Luiz’s shot is blocked and Forest get rid, forcing Konsa to curtail the counter with a foul on Gibbs-White.

42 mins: I think both teams would be content to get to half-time level at this stage. It’s not been a game high on quality.

40 mins: Yates is fouled while trying to clear, which is fortunate for him as he made a couple of poor decisions in the few preceding seconds to put his team in trouble.

38 mins: Ramsey is tripped by Freuler just outside the box to give Villa a free-kick in a dangerous position. Douglas Luiz takes aim but whacks it straight into the wall and Forest clear.

Kouyate and Buendia have a little pushing match, then a few of their teammates get involved. It’s all quite petty and Anthony Taylor brings the two midfielders together to calm tensions.

36 mins: Aurier curls in a cross from the right with his left foot for Kouyate to attack but the midfielder gets no power into it and Martinez easily grabs hold.

34 mins: Young catches Dennis on the ankle, much to the Nigerian’s dismay.

Buendia and Coutinho are such incredibly creative players but they have barely been involved thus far.

32 mins: Villa enjoying a good spell of possession as Forest look to stay in their compact defensive shape to keep them at bay.

30 mins: Douglas Luiz is in a heap on the floor after being caught by Freuler. He eventually gets up after not being given a free-kick.

28 mins: Cook is now on four bookings in five games, which is not the sign of a man up to speed with the level he is playing at.

26 mins: NO GOAL! McGinn plays the ball out to the left for Ramsey to cross into the box to a waiting Watkins to slide home from close range, only to see the offside raised and the goal is rightly disallowed.

Cook goes into the book for lunging at Ramsey inside the Villa box. What a poor challenge from the defender.

24 mins: This all feels a little familiar … Forest need to regain their composure. Cooper was unhappy with a challenge on Yates in the box before the goal but there was nothing in it.

GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Young, 22)

19 mins: Aurier slides in on Ramsey and is rightly booked for a reckless challenge. It looks like the defender went in with two feet off the floor. There is a quick VAR check and the yellow card is seen as a suitable punishment. Aurier really is a liability at times.

17 mins: Forest will have to make sure they are less open than in previous losses at City Ground when they took the lead against Bournemouth and Fulham before losing.

GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa (Dennis, 15)

14 mins: Johnson cuts inside and sends a cross into the box but Dennis is nowhere to be seen and Villa clear. Dennis does better seconds later as he is fouled by Mings on the right to gift Forest a free-kick in a dangerous area.

13 mins: Coutinho whacks the free-kick straight into McKenna’s face which is good news for Forest but less so for the defender.

12 mins: Buendia bursts through Freuler and Kouyate, and is fouled by bother of them around 25 yards from goal. Coutinho and Douglas Luiz line it up …

10 mins: When defending it looks like Johnson and Gibbs-White are playing as auxiliary full-backs. Cooper really is trying to make Forest harder to break down tonight.

8 mins: Forest not offering anything in the final third. Dennis is yet to touch the ball.

Cash breaks down the right but his cross is pretty woeful and ends up going out for a throw-in on the opposite side.

6 mins: Buendia is on the deck after a midair clash with Freuler. Looks like the Argentinian has sore ribs following the incident.

4 mins: Buendia looks to slide a ball through for Watkins but he is cleaned out in the process by a late foul from Toffolo. The left-back is lucky to get away without a booking.

Douglas Luiz takes a short corner to McGinn whose shot is blocked. Forest look a little flat.

2 mins: It is a back four for Forest. Will Cook be able to cope with Watkins? They are defending with five across midfield currently.

Kick-off

Cooper comes out for a round of applause from the fans and takes his place in the dugout.

Steve Cooper: “I was recently disappointed with the performance and result at Leicester. Having reviewed it, it was far away from what we want.

“There’s been some strong conversations and reflections, which have come from the players as well. That’s how we like to work.

“I make no secret that we do have a lot of new players, so we are trying to find the right blend and team. What I will say about changes, it gives opportunities and when you are given them, you have to take them.”

“The sight of players like Henderson and Lingard in the squad is a reminder that this club won two European Cups with plenty of ‘rejects’ with a point to prove in Clough and Taylor’s teams,” emails Justin Kavanagh. “Could Kouyaté be the next Kenny Burns? Those days are probably gone but it’s good to see a coach get a chance to at least try to build a new team.”

I think Burns arrived with the best years ahead of him, I am not sure the same could be said of Kouyate.

A new face at the City Ground. How hands on will Filippo Giraldi be? It will be interesting to see what he has planned.

Like some of the readers, I have very fine memories on Monday nights in Nottingham, as Martin can confirm.

It is five changes in total which is a sign of how tough Cooper has found it to nail down a starting XI following the influx of players. It is interesting to see that Lingard is on the bench for this one – he has really looked off the pace since arriving on a free. The expensive gamble looks a poor one at the moment.

Matty Cash is back where it all started.

I am guessing it will be a 4-3-3 for Forest because Cooper could use Kouyate as a centre-back and carry on with just two central midfielders but this system has not worked in the Premier League following its success last season.

Some interesting Forest team news because Dennis makes his full league debut, Aurier is preferred at right-back, Steve Cook keeps his place and it looks like Cooper is adopting a three-man central midfield.

Starting lineups

Preamble