Unai Emery has explained why Nicolas Jackson was substituted at half-time during Aston Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Jackson started at Villa Park after opening his Aston Villa account in the Champions League victory over Club Brugge.
However, the striker was replaced by Tammy Abraham at the interval after receiving a first-half booking.
Jacob Tanswell revealed after the game that referee Andy Madley had warned the Villa bench Jackson was “treading a fine line”.
Emery therefore decided he could not risk leaving the forward on the pitch.
Referee warning forces Unai Emery decision
Jackson’s substitution was not simply a straight swap for Abraham.
Emery explained that changing his centre-forward also forced Villa into a wider tactical alteration.
Abraham does not naturally provide the same threat running behind a defence as Jackson, so Emery felt he needed to introduce a winger alongside him.
That led to Alysson replacing George Hemmings at the interval.
The decision eventually produced Villa’s brightest moment of another frustrating Premier League afternoon.
Alysson headed John McGinn’s cross beyond the Forest goalkeeper to score Villa’s first league goal of the season.
The youngster was subsequently our standout performer in the Aston Villa player ratings against Nottingham Forest.
Nicolas Jackson unable to build on Club Brugge goal
The early withdrawal was unfortunate for Jackson after his encouraging night in Belgium.
He scored his first Villa goal during the 3-2 victory over Club Brugge and appeared to have taken an important step in his adaptation to Emery’s side.
John McGinn had also backed Jackson to become a major player for Aston Villa following the summer arrival’s promising start.
His Forest performance was cut short before he had the opportunity to make a similar second-half impact.
Crucially, Emery’s explanation suggests the substitution was driven by the risk of a red card rather than simply dissatisfaction with Jackson’s display.
Villa ultimately lost despite the changes improving their attacking threat.
Igor Jesus scored Forest’s late winner after Ian Maatsen’s injury left Emery’s side finishing the contest with ten men.
Maatsen could now face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after Emery revealed the defender had suffered an ankle problem.
Villa must regroup quickly before Wednesday’s Carabao Cup meeting with Coventry City.
