Anthony Elanga played the role of super sub as Nottingham Forest scored two late goals to clinch a dramatic 2-1 win over Aston Villa and go fourth in the Premier League table.
Forest and Villa entered Saturday's late kick-off fifth and sixth in the standings respectively, with both knowing a victory would lift them into the UEFA Champions League places.
Chances were few and far between until the second half, when Jhon Duran – having replaced Ollie Watkins in the Villa attack – opened the scoring with a fine header, generating all his own power to guide John McGinn's cross into the roof of the net.
Chris Wood saw a potential leveller disallowed following a VAR review in the 82nd minute, with substitute Elanga adjudged to be offside when breaking into the box to cross for the New Zealander.
However, Forest continued to push and equalised via a powerful Nikola Milenkovic header in the 87th minute, Emiliano Martinez getting two hands to the ball but failing to prevent it creeping over the line.
Elanga then completed the turnaround four minutes into stoppage time, side-footing home after Elliot Anderson dispossessed Matty Cash to cross from the left-hand side.
That goal ensured Forest climbed above Manchester City with 28 points, three ahead of Villa, ahead of visiting Brentford next Saturday.
Data Debrief: Late show for Forest
Forest emerged as the winning side despite trailing after 86 minutes and 14 seconds – the latest they have ever been behind in a Premier League game before going on to win.
Meanwhile, it was the latest point at which Villa had led and gone on to lose in the Premier League since November 2019 versus Liverpool (1-0 up until 86:35, lost 2-1).
With 28 points, Forest have managed their best start to a top-flight campaign through 16 games since 1994-95 (also 28), when they went on to finish third.
Jamaica’s U-20 women’s Head coach Hugh Bradford balances immediate preparation with long-term development
Jamaica’s Under-20 Women’s Head coach, Hugh Bradford, is steering a new generation of players toward next year’s Concacaf Women’s qualifiers, with the immediate focus being to sharpen their skills in the Jewels of the Caribbean Women’s Tournament.
The invitational tournament, set to kick off in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, provides a critical platform for preparation as Jamaica gears up for high-stakes competition in February.
Bradford’s young Reggae Girlz will compete against teams from Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and two squads from Trinidad and Tobago—the Red Angels and White Angels—in the week-long friendly tournament, which concludes on December 20.
Though a bit concerned that his players might be a bit sluggish coming out of a four-day camp, Bradford underscored the value of the tournament.
“The tournament will be good for the players that are able to attend. They will be a bit tired having just finished a four-day camp today, but these matches are essential for building chemistry and testing their abilities under game conditions,” Bradford told SportsMax.Tv.
Bradford enters this phase of preparation with a relatively new roster, as only retained three or four players from last year’s squad, which had a successful run to the Under-20 Championship but failed to progress beyond the group stage.
Though this means starting from scratch in some areas, the United States-based coach is optimistic about the team’s potential.
“This is a new team, so we’re still getting to know them. The players have a solid foundation for the most part. Right now, it’s about working on getting them used to each other’s abilities and finding cohesion as a unit," Bradford explained.
While his team’s journey to the qualifiers has already involved several training camps, where players have been putting in quality work, Bradford admitted there’s room for improvement in fitness—a priority as the February qualifiers draw closer.
“The fitness level needs to be better, so we will put in some work on that side, both at camp and at home,” Bradford declared.
The young Reggae Girlz are drawn in Group D for the Concacaf Women’s U-20 qualifiers, where they will face Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
It will be a high-stakes qualifier for all and sundry, as only the winner from each group will advance to the 2025 Concacaf U-20 Women’s Championship to join pre-seeded powerhouses, the United States and Mexico.
With that in mind, Bradford pointed out that the goal is clear—surpass their performances from last year.
“The target is to get the roster set and get through the first round so we can continue to work on improving for the championship. Training has been good, and the players are responding well. I wish we had a few more camps, but we’ll make do with what we have,” Bradford shared.
As such, he again welcomed the Jewels of the Caribbean tournament as a litmus test for the team’s readiness and adaptability, as the variety of opponents will challenge the young players to adapt to different styles of play.
“These matches are crucial for seeing how the players perform in real-time situations. It’s also an opportunity to fine-tune strategies and build their confidence,” he ended.
Juventus 2-2 Venezia: Stoppage-time Vlahovic penalty keeps hosts unbeaten
Dusan Vlahovic scored a 95th-minute penalty as Juventus salvaged a 2-2 draw against struggling Venezia, maintaining their unbeaten record in Serie A this season but drawing for the 10th time in 16 games.
Having beaten Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek, Thiago Motta's Bianconeri took the lead after 19 minutes, the unmarked Federico Gatti tapping home after a corner was flicked on towards the back post.
However, Venezia came roaring back to lead against the run of play. Mikael Egill Ellertsson headed in the equaliser just after the hour mark, then Jay Idzes nodded Hans Nicolussi Caviglia's free-kick home to stun the Allianz Stadium with seven minutes left.
But Juventus got a huge slice of fortune in stoppage time when the ball struck Antonio Candela's arm in the Venezia area, allowing Vlahovic to score from the spot.
The Bianconeri's 10th draw of the campaign – and their fourth in a row – leaves them sixth in Serie A with 28 points, nine points behind leaders Atalanta. Venezia remain bottom with 10 points.
Data Debrief: Mixed feelings for Juventus
Juventus are, along with Paris Saint-Germain, one of only two teams still unbeaten in Europe's top five leagues this season.
However, they have only won six of their 10 matches this term. In the three-points-for-a-win era, only once have they achieved so few victories through 16 games of a Serie A campaign (also six in 1998-99).
They have drawn 20 times in Serie A in 2024, which is already a club record for a single calendar year. The last team to draw 20 Serie A matches in a single calendar year was Torino in 2017.
Conte hails Napoli response after comeback victory
Antonio Conte credited his Napoli players for the response they showed in Saturday's 3-1 comeback win at Udinese, which kept them within touching distance of the Serie A summit.
Napoli slipped five points behind Scudetto frontrunners Atalanta after La Dea beat Cagliari to make it 10 straight league victories – a new club record – earlier on Saturday.
They fell behind to Florian Thauvin's 22nd-minute opener, only for Romelu Lukaku and Frank Anguissa to net either side of Lautaro Giannetti's own goal after the break.
Conte's side have now won five of their last seven away Serie A matches (two draws), including two in a row for the first time since last October. This season, only Atalanta (six) have more away wins than Napoli.
Speaking after the game, the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss told DAZN: "Udinese are a very good side and I saw a strong response from my boys.
"We have to be realistic, fearless and understand that to win you have to take control of the game, as we did today."
For Conte, the scoreline in the first half did not reflect his side's dominance.
"We controlled the game from start to finish, even though we were 1-0 down. The penalty didn't change the game for us," the Partenopei coach added.
"We created chances in the first half and we must continue to play that kind of football.
"Keeping possession, dominating the game, pressing high and dictating the game is crucial for us."
Napoli are now unbeaten in their last 17 matches against Udinese in Serie A, winning 14 and drawing three.
Among the teams currently in Serie A, only against Como (18 without defeat), are Napoli currently on a longer such run.
They are next in action against Genoa next Saturday, while title rivals Atalanta host Empoli the following day.
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