Nottingham Forest transfer business paying off as curse broken and Oliver Glasner template set

If ever Nottingham Forest’s Villa Park curse was going to be broken, it was no surprise Oliver Glasner proved the man to do it.

The Reds head coach clearly has Unai Emery’s number. Saturday’s 2-1 victory made it eight unbeaten in all competitions for the Austrian over Aston Villa - a run that stretches back through his time at Crystal Palace and now in his new post.

With one wallop of Liam Delap's right boot and a poached finish from Igor Jesus, bang went Forest’s miserable recent record in this particular corner of the West Midlands. And with that, it should be lift-off for their season.

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Not since 1994 had the club triumphed away to Villa, and last term’s Europa League semi-final second leg thumping was still fresh in the memory. As the Reds look to get going with a new era, here was Glasner putting his stamp on things.

The disappointing double defeat to Leeds United aside, prior to this weekend his team had shown promising signs without getting the full reward. Picking up their first three points of the campaign can be the perfect shot in the arm.

The Reds paid a lot of money for Delap, and this is why they were prepared to splash out £45 million to secure his services from Chelsea this summer. It is because he is capable of scoring goals like he did on Saturday - his finishing, as Glasner put it, is “incredible”.

It was a throwback to the Delap of Ipswich Town; the one who had half the Premier League clamouring for him before he moved to Stamford Bridge. His strike to open the scoring was an absolute rocket and set the tone for a superb second-half performance.

Delap had suffered from a lack of service before the break. But as the visitors emerged from the dressing room with intent and urgency, he grabbed the bull by the horns and took it upon himself to deliver. He needed only 45 seconds to do just that.

But for an offside call, he could have had a brace. His second strike was just as sweet as his first and came from a delightful Morgan Gibbs-White pass so it was a shame to see it ruled out for offside.

Not to worry. Getting off the mark for his new club represented Delap’s first goal in any competition since January and should give him the confidence boost to kick on.

Like his manager, the front man seems to like playing against Villa; he has now scored four goals in five appearances in the Premier League against them - his highest total against any side. Glasner and Delap are clearly a match made in heaven when it comes to punishing Emery’s men.

Resilience was a key quality identified by Glasner in his post-match comments. The visitors had to show a lot of it - and it started as early as Friday evening.

It was very late on matchday minus one (9.30pm in fact) when scan results ruled Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha out of the game due to hamstring tightness. A short time after, Glasner had to knock on the hotel doors of Ola Aina and Ousmane Diomande to inform them of his revised plan.

Aina was required to step in as the right centre-back while Diomande was handed his first Premier League start. On top of all that, Murillo was struggling with knee issues but made clear he was determined to play.

“He was a big question mark because he had some pain in his knees in training,” Glasner said of the Brazilian. "And he said, ‘No, gaffer, I can and will play’.”

Forest were a little shaky early on as the makeshift rearguard found its feet, and they needed Matz Sels to be alert to Villa’s danger. But the back line soon settled and restricted their opponents to just seven efforts at goal (compared to the visitors’ 22).

The absence of Milenkovic and Jair was the first real test of Glasner’s defensive strength in depth. Morato and Zach Abbott going out on loan on deadline day left the Reds somewhat light in numbers in that department - at least in terms of natural centre-backs.

Glasner always said he felt he had the options to cope, however, and on Saturday that faith was justified. Aina adjusted well to his new role and Diomande grew in stature as the match went on.

It was still a relief for Forest to see Murillo last the full 90 minutes. But with Milenkovic having already been ruled out of next weekend’s clash with Coventry City, it would be no surprise if the same defensive trio go again.

If Milenkovic watched on fearing his place might come under threat with the way Diomande played as the lynchpin at the back, Ibrahim Sangare could perhaps sympathise. At this rate, the midfielder has his work cut out to get back into the starting XI.

Sangare was available again after missing the last two games with a calf problem. He came on for the final 10 minutes or so to help shore things up, but by then James McAtee and Xaver Schlager had already put in a midfield masterclass.

In Sangare’s absence, McAtee and Schlager have struck up a good partnership. Both were excellent against Villa and provided the platform for a strong second half from the visitors.

Schlager has learnt quickly from his tough introduction against Leeds, when the pace of the Premier League caught him out. McAtee, meanwhile, has put the frustrations of last season firmly behind him and is almost like a new signing for the club.

After riding spells of pressure in the first half, Forest emerged for the second period full of purpose and energy. This is the Forest Glasner wants to see; he spoke a lot about identity before this game, and the evidence of what he is after was right there.

Victory was well deserved and well earned. It came courtesy of a mixture of quality, commitment, determination and mental fortitude. And for Glasner, the psychological aspect was as important as any of the nice passages of play his team put together.

It was noteworthy that this was the first time the club's four main summer signings (Delap, Schlager, Diomande and Daniel Munoz) had started a match together. One way or another the quartet all had a significant impact on the game, showing how the transfer business done has the potential to make a difference this season.

There is no doubting who remains the most important member of the squad, though. Gibbs-White’s delicate flick-on for Jesus’ winner means he has either scored or assisted in each of his last eight Premier League away games. Only Erling Haaland (September 2023), Robin van Persie (May 2011), and Andrew Cole (December 1993) have been on longer hot streaks, with nine goal involvements each.

According to Squawka, Gibbs-White became the first Reds player to create seven-plus chances and tee up a goal in a Premier League game since the club’s promotion. He arguably wasn’t even the visitors’ man of the match on the day.

Come full-time, Forest gathered in front of a jubilant away end and soaked up the celebrations; Delap punched the air in delight before Jesus needed a little more coaxing to deliver some fist-pumps. The template has been set for the Glasner era, now the Reds have to keep it up.