Nottingham Forest slipped into the Premier League relegation zone after making it nine games without win as they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa.
Bertrand Traore scored the opening goal after latching onto a terrible error from Jonjo Shelvey. Ollie Watkins then continued his goal scoring form netting the second in stoppage time as Prince William, Prince George and England boss Gareth Southgate watched on.
NottinghamshireLive takes a look at how the national media reported on events at Villa Park...
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READ MORE: Cooper responds to question on his future after Aston Villa loss
BBC Sport, Adam Millington
In-form Aston Villa maintained their push for European football next season with victory over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at Villa Park.
Villa have now won 11 of 17 games since Unai Emery took charge, with victory here their fourth in succession. It had been a testing first half for Emery's men as the hosts struggled to get a foothold in the match, with Forest proving equal to their efforts.
Villa came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening period when Ollie Watkins forced Keylor Navas into a stop from close range but chances were otherwise limited. The game's opening goal could not have come easier for the hosts, though, as Bertrand Traore curled past Navas after Jonjo Shelvey cleared the ball into the path of the Villa man shortly after the restart.
Watkins sealed the result in the final minute of added time, chipping into the net after playing a one-two with Jacob Ramsey. Villa, meanwhile, are six points off fifth-placed Tottenham with eight games remaining.
Emery has masterminded a complete turnaround of Villa's fortunes since taking the reins in October. They had won just two of their opening 11 matches before the Spaniard's arrival but are now firmly in the mix at the top end of the table.
The Telegraph, John Percy
While Aston Villa’s fans and the Prince of Wales are dreaming of European tours next season, Forest supporters are hoping owner Evangelos Marinakis holds his nerve.
While Forest are facing a nervy end to the campaign, Villa’s transformation under Unai Emery is one of the stories of the season. In front of the future king, Villa’s win lifted them into sixth place and they remain in serious contention for a European place.
These are the sort of games that in recent years have seen Villa slip up, but they are now a ruthlessly efficient machine. Bertrand Traore, the substitute, capitalised on a dreadful error from Jonjo Shelvey to score the first, before Ollie Watkins added the second late on.
With eighth place enough to secure a place in Europe next season, if West Ham win the Uefa Europa Conference League, Villa’s target under owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens is edging ever closer. Emery said: "We are ambitious and realistic and now we can add a new target with the possibilities of the European position."
The Guardian, Ben Fisher
Aston Villa racked up a sixth win in seven matches to climb to sixth in the Premier League and pile the pressure on Steve Cooper. The question now is how will Evangelos Marinakis respond to Nottingham Forest dropping into the relegation zone?
Marinakis handed Cooper a new contract in October to dispel talk of him dismissing his manager when they were bottom of the table but it is difficult to envisage the Forest owner being quite so generous this time. The substitute Bertrand Traoré, Villa’s hero at Leicester in midweek, opened the scoring before Ollie Watkins scored his ninth goal in 11 games to double Villa’s lead in second-half stoppage time and compound the misery for Cooper, who looked on glum-faced.
By the time Watkins chipped in Cooper looked on forlornly from the touchline, clasping his jacket with his hands behind his back and it was impossible not to wonder whether Marinakis will ask him to fetch his coat. Villa, watched on by Prince William and his son George, are foot to the pedal in pursuit of European football after winning four successive games and 11 of their 17 matches under Unai Emery
They have already eclipsed last season’s points tally with eight games to play. A section of Villa’s match-day programme is labelled Seasons in the Sun and despite making a dire start under Steven Gerrard, this could be another one to add to the list. "We started trying to escape off the bottom [of the table], we did it," Emery said.
"We tried to be in the top 10 and now we are there, and another target we can have is to go to Europe. We are going to think about being ambitious."
Daily Mail, Tom Collomosse
In front of the future King, Steve Cooper was left fearing that his reign as Nottingham Forest manager was coming to an with his team slipping into the bottom three. The Prince of Wales is a keen Aston Villa fan and was in the directors’ box to watch Unai Emery’s team make it six wins from seven and strengthen their push for European football – a remarkable achievement given Villa were in relegation trouble when Emery arrived last autumn.
Though Forest put up a better fight here than in many fixtures away from the City Ground, they offered very little in attack and fell to a dreadful defensive mistake early in the second half, which allowed Villa substitute Bertrand Traore to open the scoring. Ollie Watkins grabbed his ninth goal in 11 games in stoppage time.
Villa have been through this before but the stars have now aligned at Villa Park. Under a proven manager, this team are flying and though they have a tough run of fixtures to come, Emery has his eyes firmly on Europe. Don’t forget the Spaniard has won the Europa League four times as a coach.
In the final minute of the half, Alex Moreno escaped on the left, Watkins failed to connect with the cross and Traore put his volley into the Holte End. Villa nearly finished it when the impressive Moreno accelerated beyond Neco Williams and picked out Emi Buendia, whose first-team effort flew wide from close range.
The Argentine should have hit the target but he need not have worried. Forest were never going to be able to make him pay. Watkins added the decisive touch when he took a return pass from Ramsey and clipped the ball beyond Navas. Cooper looked forlorn on the touchline. Now the waiting begins.
Sky Sports
Aston Villa's push for the European places continued with a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, who dropped into the bottom three. After a drab opening half, the hosts needed just three minutes of the second to take the lead, Traore side-footing into the far corner after pouncing on Jonjo Shelvey's loose pass inside his own area.
The game was eventually made safe deep into stoppage time when Ollie Watkins contined his red-hot streak in front of goal, grabbing his ninth goal in 11 matches to seal all three points. Victory sees Unai Emery's side, who are on a run of four straight league wins, move up to sixth as their dreams of securing European football for next season stay firmly on track.
However, head coach Emery insists his side need to stay "realistic" over their European ambitions. He said: "Another target we have is to go to Europe.
"Other teams are playing well. But it [sixth place] is not real, Brighton have two matches less than us, Liverpool as well and we have to wait. "We have to be realistic and ambitious as well. Our next match is to win."
Aston Villa would have been hoping for a fast start as they looked to continue their fine recent results, and in-form Watkins almost gave them the lead inside four minutes, but the striker dragged his strike wide of the far post. It was to be Villa's best opening of the half as the hosts struggled to find any rhythm against a spirited Nottingham Forest side.
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