Nuno Espírito Santo encouraged supporters to raise a beer to this “special” victory after late goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga enabled Nottingham Forest to win this battle of the former European Cup winners and climb into the Champions League places.

Forest have now matched their best start to a season since 1994‑95 as they came from behind after Jhon Durán’s third goal in a week for Aston Villa, who are winless in the last five league games that have followed Champions League matches. “It’s not an excuse,” Unai Emery, the Villa manager, said. “It’s another competition. Last year we played as well in the midweek [reaching the Europa Conference League final] and we got fourth [in the Premier League].”

Related: Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Premier League – live

So Forest, celebrating their 5,000th league fixture, can claim fourth place in the here and now, at least until Manchester City play Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Building on this season’s remarkable victories at Anfield and, last week, Old Trafford, Nuno has led them to eight league wins already this season. Last season, it took them until their 36th game.

The old City Ground was rocking to its foundations in the closing stages as, after a tight first period in which Nuno’s tactics helped negate Villa’s strengths, Forest’s spirit took them to new heights. Finishing in the top four may be another matter but they are there, above City, on merit for now. “Focus on the task that you have ahead of you,” Nuno said, “realising that we didn’t achieve nothing. Today is a big moment. Let’s enjoy it together: all the fans, players. Have a beer. But we know that Brentford is going be so tough. You just look at them at home, how many goals they score. So, I’m trying to now work on that. That is what’s more important, game by game.”

Nuno relished the tactical challenge. With John McGinn tucking in from his position narrow on the left, Ola Aina, Forest’s right-back, followed him inside, obliging the recalled central midfielder Nicolás Domínguez to fill the space outside where Lucas Digne can be so productive. Perhaps teams are working Villa out. Forest threatened to take charge in the first half. Elliot Anderson slalomed down the inside-left channel only for his shot to deflect behind off Boubacar Kamara. Running over to the other side to take the corner, Anderson’s delivery was headed just wide of the far post by Murillo.

Villa, legs tested but morale boosted by the midweek win over RB Leipzig that puts them within touching distance of automatically qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League, came back into the contest. They should have been awarded a penalty when Anderson kept pulling Morgan Rogers’ shirt as the pair ran into the area but the video assistant referee did not intervene. “Today, the VAR is a big mistake,” Emery said. “I respect the referee, I respect the VAR, but the VAR is to help the referee.”

Villa gained the advantage after superb possession along the edge of Forest’s box led to McGinn clipping a cross in for Durán to head home his 11th goal of the season. Forest thought they had equalised in the 81st minute when it took the VAR almost three minutes to determine that Elanga was half a shoulder offside as he ran on to Morgan Gibbs-White’s pass before crossing for Chris Wood to slide home. But they did pull level when Milenkovic, having scored his first Premier League goal in last Saturday’s win at Old Trafford, thudded home a header from Gibbs-White’s cross from the right.

Emiliano Martínez, who had earlier made one of the best saves you will see this season, denying Domínguez with the game goalless, bungled in letting the ball over the line. With their tails up, Forest went for the kill and when Anderson bustled Cash off the ball and pulled it back, Elanga slammed home from close range.

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