Oliver Glasner Continues Unbeaten Streak Against Unai Emery
Oliver Glasner walked out of Villa Park with another win over Unai Emery – and another reminder that, right now, he has the Spaniard’s number.
Saturday’s 2-1 victory for Nottingham Forest stretched Glasner’s unbeaten run against Emery to eight matches. Six wins, two draws. From his Crystal Palace days to his current spell at the City Ground, the Austrian keeps finding a way.
Humble words, ruthless record
Glasner allowed himself a brief smile when he recalled their chat before kick-off.
‘I spoke to him (Emery) 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 made sure the spotlight went straight back onto his players and the away end.
‘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.’
They earned it. This was not a routine away win. Far from it.
Chaos on the eve of kick-off
Forest’s preparation was shredded late on Friday night. Two key defenders gone in a matter of hours. A tactical plan ripped up and rewritten.
Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha both suffered hamstring injuries in the final training session. The scan results landed at 9.30pm. Glasner suddenly had holes all over his back line.
‘We are pleased with the win, but much more pleased with the performance and most pleased with the resilience showed today,’ he 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.’
From hotel corridor conversations to Premier League intensity in less than 24 hours. The reshuffle had to work. It did.
Murillo’s decision and a bruising afternoon
If the injuries had stretched Forest, Murillo’s response stitched them back together.
The Brazilian defender had every reason to sit this one out. His knees hurt in training. He could have stepped aside. He refused.
‘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, a clear nod to the mentality he wants running through his squad.
With Forest’s defensive options already thinned, that decision mattered. Murillo anchored a patched-up back line on an afternoon when everything was on the edge – including Aston Villa, who finished with ten men after Ian Maatsen went off injured.
At the other end, Forest were clinical. Liam Delap and Igor Jesus struck to secure a memorable 2-1 win at Villa Park, the kind of result that sharpens belief in a manager’s methods and a squad’s resilience.
Six wins now for Glasner against Emery. The pattern is no longer a quirk. It’s a rivalry with a clear, current winner.
Eyes on Coventry and the treatment room
The celebrations will roll on in Nottingham, but Glasner has already moved on to the next problem: who he actually has available for the next game.
Forest face Coventry City on September 19, and they are braced to be without Milenkovic for that one.
‘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.
The league schedule will not slow down. The injuries are starting to stack up. Yet the evidence from Villa Park is clear: even when the plan explodes at 9.30pm the night before, this Forest side still finds a way to compete.
If this is how they look under strain, what happens when Glasner finally gets a full squad to pick from?
