Oliver Glasner's Resilience Leads Nottingham Forest to Victory
Oliver Glasner walked out of Villa Park on Saturday with another win over Unai Emery – and a story that went far beyond the scoreline.
The 2-1 victory for Nottingham Forest not only extended Forest’s impressive start under the Austrian, it also stretched his unbeaten run against Emery to eight games. Across his spells at Crystal Palace and now Forest, Glasner has faced the Spaniard eight times, winning six and drawing two. Emery, the serial Europa League winner, still owns the trophy count. Glasner owns the head‑to‑head.
“Oliver Glasner, stay humble”
Glasner was in no mood to gloat. If anything, he leaned into the imbalance of their careers when the two managers met before kick-off.
“I spoke to him before the game and told him that it was still 5-2 to him, in terms of European trophies won. I said to myself ‘Oliver Glasner, stay humble’,” he told reporters afterwards.
He stuck to that line in the press room. No self‑congratulation, just a firm insistence that the spotlight stayed on those in boots, not the man in the technical area.
“I will stay that way. Every win is great, but I did not play one second today. The players deserve all the credit, because they did so well. Our fans deserve the credit, because they supported us. Now we will go home and have a lovely Saturday evening.”
The humility sounded genuine. The performance behind it was anything but modest.
Chaos at 9.30pm
Forest’s win came against the backdrop of a preparation that veered into chaos on Friday night. By 9.30pm, Glasner’s carefully drawn plan was in tatters.
Two key defenders gone. One training session in the bank. A Premier League away day at Villa Park looming.
“We are pleased with the win, but much more pleased with the performance and most pleased with the resilience showed today,” Glasner said.
“It was 9.30pm when we got the result of scans that told us that Jair Cunha and Nikola could not play. I knocked at Ola and Ousmane’s door and told them they would be playing. I spoke with Ola a little bit about playing in the back three. I told him I think he can.”
No extended tactical seminar. No time. Just a late‑night knock, a reshaped back line and a manager backing his players to cope.
They did more than cope.
Murillo’s pain, Forest’s gain
If the scans brought bad news, Murillo brought defiance. The Brazilian defender had felt pain in his knees in training. He still refused to step aside.
“I can tell you now that Murillo had some pain in his knees before the game, in training. But he said ‘no, Gaffer, I will play’,” Glasner revealed.
With Forest’s defensive options stripped back, that decision mattered. Murillo anchored a makeshift unit that had been rebuilt overnight, while at the other end Liam Delap and Igor Jesus delivered the goals that turned a fraught afternoon into a statement win.
Forest’s 2-1 success was hardened by circumstance. Villa finished with ten men after an injury to Ian Maatsen, but this was no smash-and-grab. It was a side stitched together late, then held together by attitude.
Six wins now for Glasner against Emery. Different clubs, different competitions, same outcome.
Eyes already on Coventry
Back in Nottingham, the celebrations will roll through the weekend. Glasner, though, is already counting bodies and scan results.
The Reds face Coventry City on September 19, and the defensive issues that almost wrecked this trip are not going away. Nikola Milenkovic’s hamstring problem, picked up in that final training session, is serious enough to rule him out of the Coventry fixture.
“Nikola was a bit more serious and will miss the Coventry game. We are hopeful that he will be back after the international break. We hope Jair could be back for the Coventry game. But we have to be cautious. Let’s see,” Glasner said.
Resilience carried Forest through at Villa Park. With injuries biting and the schedule tightening, that same grit is about to be tested all over again.
