Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 1 - Report

That is not, however, a statistic an increasingly restless fanbase is focused on.

A return of just nine points from the opening nine Premier League matches means the boss is now under the greatest pressure of his 11-month reign.

Last night’s failure to beat bottom of the table Nottingham Forest, who had lost their previous five matches, will only increase the noise negativity Gerrard knows he must quickly quell.

Villa were not bad, yet neither were they good and the problem, as it has been for most of this season, was a lack of inventiveness in attack.

Just as they had at Leeds eight days previously, Villa bossed possession but lacked inspiration when it came to putting the ball in the net.

Ashley Young, with his first Villa goal since May 2011, provided some relief with a brilliant 25-yard strike to cancel out Emmanuel Dennis’ opener.

That moment aside, Villa were too often pedestrian, the recalled Emi Buendia providing the odd spark but unable to deliver the decisive moment.

Villa have now scored just seven goals in their first nine games and after a draw with Manchester City and win over Southampton had lifted the mood, two straight draws have seen them sink back into the mire.

Forest, beaten 4-0 at Leicester the previous Monday, made five changes to the team as boss Steve Cooper looked to stop the rot.

Cooper had appeared on the brink of the sack after that result but was instead rewarded with a new three-year contract. That significantly changed the dynamic heading into this match and the mood around the City Ground was vibrant even before the 41-year-old emerged briefly from the tunnel, 10 minutes before kick-off, to a standing ovation.

When the match started it was Villa who looked better, albeit the final ball from Young and Matty Cash, the latter back in the team to face his old club after a month out with a hamstring injury, left plenty to be desired.

But when Forest began exerting some pressure it was not long before they made the breakthrough. Alert defending from Ezri Konsa prevented Brennan Johnson’s cross reaching Dennis but seconds later the latter was fouled by Tyrone Mings on the right wing. Former Wolves man Morgan Gibbs-White delivered the free-kick and Dennis took advantage of ample time and space to glance a header beyond Emi Martinez.

Young was involved in a heated discussion with Mings about who should have been picking the Nigeria international up but if the veteran was at any fault, seven minutes later he made up for it in the best way possible with a stunning leveller. Pouncing on Ryan Yates’ headed clearance, the defender having been pressured by Jacob Ramsey, Young sent a blistering low drive into the bottom corner. Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson had no chance. Peter Schmeichel is the only player older than Young to have scored for Villa in the Premier League

Villa looked visibly lifted in the moments following the leveller and pushed forward, Watkins sliding in to convert Ramsey’s low cross, only for celebrations to be cut short by a correctly raised assistant’s flag. After that, though the visitors probably shaded it, there were few incidents of note at either end prior to the break.

Philippe Coutinho looked to create some magic soon after the restart. The skip inside Remo Freuler was good, the shot which followed it cleared the bar by some distance.

Still, it was much better from the visitors. John McGinn picked out the run of Ramsey with a clever pass and the latter would have laid on a tap in for Watkins were in not for Scott McKenna sliding in crucially to clear. Another key defensive intervention prevented Buendia’s cross from reaching the head of Coutinho six yards out.

When a Douglas Luiz cross then did reach Watkins at the far post, Henderson proved equal to the header, saving low down at his feet.

Villa were looking the more dangerous side but Gibbs-White provided a moment of alarm when he turned neatly away from Luiz 25 yards out and sent a right-footed shot wide of the post. Cheikh Kouyate then forced Martinez into a diving save with a powerfully struck effort from distance.

Gerrard introduced Ings at the expense of Coutinho but it was Buendia who looked Villa’s most likely creator. The Argentine slipped in a pass for Watkins on the left of the box but McGinn rather strangely chose to attack the pull back with his head.

Ramsey was booked after getting into a shoving match with substitute Neco Williams and in the aftermath Luiz, foolishly, stuck his head toward Johnson, receiving no censure.

Gerrard brought on Cameron Archer in another bid to find the breakthrough. The 20-year-old arrived unmarked to meet a Luiz free-kick but sent his header away from goal. It summed up another frustrating night for Villa.

Teams

Forest (3-4-2-1): Henderson, Kouyate, Cook, McKenna, Aurier (Williams 58), Yates, Freuler, Toffolo (Surridge 70), Johnson, Gibbs-White (O’Brien 90), Dennis Subs not used: Worrall, Mangala, Awoniyi, Lingard, Boly, Hennessey (gk).

Villa (4-3-2-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young, McGinn (Dendoncker 77), Luiz, Ramsey (Archer 81), Buendia, Coutinho (Ings 65), Watkins Subs not used: Sanson, Chambers, Nakamba, Bednarek, Archer, Bogarde, Olsen (gk).