BirminghamLive brings you the talking points from Aston Villa’s 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park

Aston Villa’s 4-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon solidified their place in the top five, putting a clear gap between them and Manchester United.

Chants erupted in certain areas of Holte End as Villa’s match against the Reds drew closer, shortly after Alex Iwobi sentenced the Red Devils to their tenth league loss of the year. Their final three points against Forest felt even more valuable, just like the previous weekend when Villa defeated Fulham and Tottenham suffered a shocking home loss to Wolves.

Villa managed to stave off a comeback from Forest in the second half as Moussa Niakhate and Morgan Gibbs-White scored either side of half-time after Ollie Watkins’ opener and Douglas Luiz’s double handed Villa a comfortable lead. Leon Bailey scored the sixth goal of the game to secure the points at a point in the game when Forest had their tails up and were pushing for an equaliser.

EMERY: IT’S ANOTHER VALUABLE EXPERIENCE

Villa turned it on when they needed to against Forest, who looked vulnerable every time the likes of Bailey, Jacob Ramsey and Watkins had the opportunity to face up and attack their backline. But Villa were sloppy in possession at certain points in the match and were punished for a couple of lapses either side of the break.

Emery is as experienced as they come and wasn’t going to nitpick in his press conference; he’ll leave that for Monday’s post-match analysis. And as we approach March, what matters more than anything else is results, specifically three points.

“I’m very happy,” Emery told Sky Sports after full-time. “A fantastic first half – we conceded one corner, one goal, but we dominated the match.

“The second half, we were nervous after the goal, but again we reacted very well. Douglas Luiz was very important, he controlled the ball and we controlled the game.

“More than character I think, it is about being focused in our game plan and trying to keep calm, keep controlling the game like we were doing. Today was a very good experience, adding more positive things for the team.”

Asked about his side’s push for Champions League football, Emery responded: “It is still the same, if we arrive to game 33 in the same position we maybe look to Champions League, for now it is about being in the top seven positions. We have to always be positive, and focus on each match.”

Emery was very animated on the touchline on Saturday despite Villa managing to race into an early lead and then add two more goals to their lead before first half added time. Villa were in full control before the interval, but that didn’t stop Emery making full use of his technical area, shouting his demands and gesturing throughout the match.

Despite his side’s dominance, Emery knows that no matter what advantage Villa have in a game, a Premier League team will make you pay for errors and complacency. So when Jacob Ramsey wandered into midfield and played a sloppy pass across the park, which Callum Hudson-Odoi intercepted, Emery bent down on his haunches and screamed in anger at his midfielder for not taking extra care deep in his own half.

Matty Cash managed to recover the situation well and defend the counter-attack, before Villa then went 3-0 up through Luiz’s second goal of the match. We’re approaching the business end of the season and Emery knows his team must cut out any errors which could throw away all the hard work and preparation which goes into these games.

LUIZ AT THE DOUBLE

The Brazilian midfielder has now scored nine goals in 25 league games this season, all of which have come at Villa Park; only two players – Georginio Wijnaldum in 2015-16 (11) and Les Ferdinand in 2000-01 (10) – have scored more in a single Premier League campaign with 100 per cent coming at home.

Luiz operates in a double pivot, but considering Villa like to play in the opposition half, he is allowed to break forward and contribute at the right times.

Asked about Villa’s dangerous attacking play, Luiz told Premier League Productions: “We train at this every day, the gaffer helps us so much. The character of Ollie and Leon, it is great to have them in my team.”

“I just think he [Emey] has lifted me, it is the truth. He has told me every day, you need to defend, and if you go you need to score.”

Emery said of the 25-year-old: “I am very happy. He is a key player and sometimes we need him to be focused and successful on the pitch. At the start of the second half he lost two balls in the middle of the ball but he reacted very well and he was a key player for us in the final half an hour.”

BAILEY TOO HOT TO HANDLE

It was another stunning performance from Bailey, who has been one of the most exciting players in the Premier League this season. Remarkably, he is averaging a goal contribution every 84 minutes in the league this season.

“It was a good start for us, obviously our performances have not been great at home, but going 3-0 up gave us loads of confidence,” Bailey told the BBC. “Sometimes from the right side, sometimes the left. There was a lot of space on the right, I was trying to utilise my speed and quality in there.”

“It was very important for us to leave it in the past as the Premier League is a difficult league. But it’s so fast you can turn things around.

“I feel good, obviously I’ve been working on being more consistent. The work is paying off, I am really happy, and that is what makes me really confident. I can showcase my talent.”

Emery: “He is demonstrating his ability and being more consistent. He deserves everything he is showing. We want him to carry on being more consistent.”

McGINN SET THE TONE

When McGinn plays well – which is often – so do Villa. He was unplayable against Forest a week after putting in another captain’s performance against Fulham.

The Scot completed 39 of the 42 passes he attempted, registering a passing accuracy of 93 per cent. He created two chances, one of which was converted by Luiz to put Villa 3-0 up. Going the other way, McGinn won 100 per cent of his tackles and won seven duels.

McGinn has featured in every one of the 38 games Villa have played in all competitions and has started each of the club’s 26 Premier League games.

KEEP IT ROLLING

After referee Samuel Barrott blew up for full-time, Emery headed straight down the tunnel as usual, but not before giving a few fist pumps to the fans in the lower Trinity. Pau Torres, who was replaced at half-time after feeling a “small pain” on the back of his leg, wasn’t far behind Emery down the tunnel and he gave the supporters a wave and allowed himself a small celebration too.