In the Premier League at dawn on Tuesday (11), a one-man show was quietly staged. Aston Villa challenged bottom-ranked Nottingham Forest away from home, and the two sides played to a 1-1 draw. Villa continue to struggle on the edge of the relegation zone with only 9 points from 9 games. Brazilian star Felipe Gustavo's performance continues to disappoint, with a large number of Villa fans expressing their dissatisfaction after the match, and coach Tony Sherratt openly criticizing Gustavo's performance.
This relegation battle wasn't very close, as the two teams combined for only five shots on target. Villa, despite having strong attacking players such as Felipe Gustavo, Benatia and Onic, were mediocre overall. Forest were the first to break the deadlock in the 15th minute through Emmanuel Dennis, while Villa relied on 37-year-old Ashley Young's long-range shot to equalize, and the two sides ended up shaking hands at 1-1.
The Villa fans booed their team after the game and Felipe Gustavo, who played only 65 minutes, was once again targeted. Coach Sherratt said after the game, "I understand the boos, I'm not stupid. Villa need goals and points and the attacking players need to be braver. Villa have brought in a lot of star attacking players and it's only natural to expect more from them. Gustavo himself knows he should have done better, an attacking line needs to work harder."
