Nottingham Forest snapped a six-match winless run to beat Aston Villa 2-0 in a English Premier League Midlands derby on Sunday, denying the visitors a top-four spot after Ola Aina and Orel Mangala scored goals from outside the box.
Forest had not won a game since early September and the hosts took the lead inside five minutes when right back Ola Aina struck a low drive from range that flew into the bottom corner for his first goal for the club.
Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez conceded another with an error early in the second half when he attempted to save Orel Mangala’s shot that was hit with power with one hand, only to see the ball bounce over the line.
The defeat ended Villa’s six-match unbeaten run and left Unai Emery’s side in fifth place, five points behind leaders Manchester City, while Forest kept their first clean sheet at home this season to move up to 12th.
Arteta furious
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he felt “embarrassed” and “sick” after Anthony Gordon’s controversial goal in Newcastle’s 1-0 home victory over his side as he gave a scathing assessment of the match officials and the Premier League’s standards.
The goal was allowed after a triple VAR assessment lasting four minutes and six seconds to check if the ball went out of play, whether there was a foul in the build-up and for offside.
“How the hell did this goal stand up?” Arteta said at the start of his emotional post-match news conference on Saturday. “It’s embarrassing what happened. How this goal stands, in the Premier League — this league that we say is the best in the world.
“I’ve been 20 years in this country and now I feel ashamed. It’s a disgrace. It’s not good enough. I feel embarrassed to be part of this.”
Gordon broke the deadlock in an already heated game in the 64th minute, firing past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya from close range after a goalmouth scramble.
“It’s embarrassing. That’s how I feel and that’s how everybody feels in that (dressing) room,” the Spaniard added.
“You cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve got saying this cannot continue. I feel sick. That’s how I feel. I feel sick to be part of this.”
The loss was the Gunners’ first in the league this season and left them third, three points behind leaders Manchester City.
Newcastle condemned on Sunday the discriminatory abuse sent to Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock.
Willock, who is Black, used his Instagram account to highlight racist messages he received after the match. He is a former Arsenal player and was involved in the build-up to the only goal scored by Anthony Gordon that survived a lengthy video review for three possible infringements.
Guimaraes was also involved in some of the most heated incidents.
