Aston Villa recorded a much-needed win at Villa Park on Saturday as Unai Emery watched his side beat Nottingham Forest 4-2, a contest that saw Calum Chambers make his first league appearance of the season.
Aston Villa got back to winning ways at Villa Park on Saturday, beating Nottingham Forest 4-2 to go five points clear in fourth place.
With Spurs not playing this weekend and Manchester United losing, Unai Emery’s side took advantage of things with a well-earned win over Forest to put Champions League football even closer in their reach.
While Douglas Luiz’s brace, Leon Bailey’s overall performance and Ollie Watkins’ 14th goal of the Premier League season stole the headlines, the introduction of Calum Chambers also sparked some conversation.
Calum Chambers made his first 23/24 Premier League appearance vs Forest
At half-time, Emery withdrew Pau Torres due to experiencing some pain and with central defensive options wearing dangerously thin, Chambers entered the fold with the second half to play.
It was the first time that the 29-year-old has appeared in the Premier League this season for the Villans, with his future at the club in the balance following the previous two transfer windows.
It looked certain that the former Arsenal defender would leave Villa Park in January, however, almost a month down the line he is getting Premier League minutes in Emery’s squad.
Called into action at centre-back, the Englishman had 40 touches of the ball and made four clearances in a commendable performance amid doubts of his future, via Sofascore.
Earlier this week, the manager relayed his stance on the defender’s place in the squad by saying to the media:
“In the summer, I said let him leave. In the winter, I said let him leave. But he decided to stay here.”
What Calum Chambers said after his cameo against Nottingham Forest
Given Aston Villa’s injury turmoil in defence, the boss is lucky that he didn’t see Chambers exit in January, with Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos all currently on the sidelines.
Pau’s injury scare gave him no choice other than to hand the defender his first appearance of the season, something that the 29-year-old later reacted to on social media.
On Twitter X, Chambers said:
“No matter what, I train my hardest every day to make sure I’m at the best level I can be to perform! Picking up these 3 points is exactly what I work for!”
The out-of-favour Englishman must be commended for his professionalism after falling down the pecking order at Villa Park, with his solid performance against Forest a big plus for Emery considering his injury list.
