Neco Williams (£4.7m) secured an important point for Nottingham Forest on Sunday, as they drew 1-1 with Aston Villa.
Here are our Scout Notes from the City Ground.
PEREIRA ON WILLIAMS
Neco Williams equalised for Forest with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area.
He could have had more, too, with four shots in total, the most of any player on the pitch. It takes his overall tally to 39 goal attempts in 2025/26, at least seven more than any other defender:
Above: Defenders sorted by shots (Tot) in 2025/26
Now on corners, another string to his bow, with a manager who is encouraging him to “shoot more”, Williams is a differential name to consider in Gameweek 33, even in the absence of a ‘double’, with Forest set to host second-bottom Burnley.
“The manager has been telling me to shoot outside the box more and that’s what I did today. I took a few and one went in, so I’m pleased with that. With the surface and the rain, it was important to get our shots off.” – Neco Williams
Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.7m) claimed the assist for Williams’ equaliser, his third in the last four Gameweeks.
WOOD RETURNS
Chris Wood (£7.1m) was on the bench for Forest, having made his comeback in the week after six months out.
In a major boost for Vitor Pereira, the New Zealand international arrived in the 65th minute, prompting Igor Jesus (£5.8m) to shift into a No 10 role, as he continues to build up sharpness.
“His experience, quality, scoring goals, he smells the goals in the box. His physical and mental condition. He has the ability to help us.” – Vitor Pereira on Chris Wood
Elsewhere, Elliot Anderson (£5.6m) returned from his midweek suspension in the UEFA Europa League to bank defensive contribution (DefCon) points.
As for Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.4m), he wasn’t as impactful as usual, but did nearly score when his deflected attempt was saved in the second half.
ROGERS INVOLVED
Morgan Rogers (£7.4m) provided his second assist in as many Gameweeks, when his low cross was deflected into his own net by Murillo (£5.2m).
Further Fantasy points were in reach, too.
The England international clipped the bar shortly after his assist, and later squandered a ‘big chance’ when he blazed over from about eight yards out:
Subbed off on 77 minutes, notably just one DefCon shy of the threshold, Unai Emery explained his decision to replace Rogers after the match.
“He is able to play three matches in a row in a week. He is able to respond in the level because he is doing it. Sometimes he is being clinical, or not. Sometimes as well maybe he is more tired than other matches.
“Today I felt him, on Thursday as well I changed him after 85, I was thinking we needed extra work and fresh legs through Buendia and he did it.” – Unai Emery on Morgan Rogers
Villa had further chances to win it through Ollie Watkins (£8.5m), yet he didn’t look completely confident and wasted his opportunities, ultimately failing to net his 100th goal for the club in the process.
KONSA RESTED, MARTINEZ + MINGS INJURIES
Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) was given a rare rest by Emery on Sunday, with Victor Lindelof (£4.5m) and Pau Torres (£4.3m) the chosen centre-backs.
Prior to Gameweek 32, Konsa had missed just one Premier League match in 2025/26, when he was suspended.
On the injury front, Marco Bizot (£4.2m) was a late addition to the starting XI after Emiliano Martinez (£5.1m) pulled out shortly before kick-off.
“He was telling us in the warm-up that he was not comfortable with his calf. He felt that it was painful.
“It is something that we need to understand, his [Martinez’s] pain. Just before the match he felt pain, so OK change.” – Unai Emery on Emiliano Martinez, via Birmingham Live
Tyrone Mings (£4.3m), meanwhile, missed out due to injury.
