Morato may have saved his Nottingham Forest career after 85% display vs Aston Villa
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Credit: Imago Fri 1 May 2026 10:30, UK Morato might have already convinced Vitor Pereira that his future lies with Nottingham Forest despite concerns over his ability.Forest were without star centre-back Murillo as they took on Aston Villa in a Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday, 30 April, with Chris Wood’s second-half penalty making all the difference.The City Ground was bouncing at the full-time whistle. Supporters have a belief that the Reds might make it to a first European final since 1980, and Morato has played a huge role so far.Forest claimed a narrow 1-0 lead against Villa ahead of the second leg, and even if Murillo isn’t available for the trip to Villa Park, the manager clearly has a capable centre-back partnership to weather the storm. ⚽ Nottingham Forest Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Nottingham Forest fixture.
VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Morato has rightly been criticised at Nottingham ForestForest fans have been left “sick” by Morato during his first two campaigns at the City Ground, with the Brazilian making far too many mistakes in front of his own goal.Managers have only really fallen back on playing him when others are unavailable, and with Jair Cunha also missing out on the squad, Pereira had no other choice but to trust him against the Villans.That turned out to be a brilliant decision. Although his underlying statistics don’t seem anything special, it was one of his better performances in a Forest shirt, one that he should be proud of.Morato vs Aston VillaStats [FotMob]Minutes played90Touches44Passing accuracy85% (29/34)Tackles1Clearances4Recoveries2Ground duels won33% (1/3)Keeping Ollie Watkins has not been simple for defenders in recent weeks.
His addition to the starting lineup may have pushed Morato to be that little bit better, and it was evident against Villa.The Reds will now head into the second leg with a one-goal lead, and a lot of the thanks can go to Morato, who helped to stop Unai Emery’s side from scoring for the second game in a row. Don’t Miss a Beat: Your Nottingham Forest Insider Access Get the full story from the City Ground and the Forest Training Centre with our dedicated expert hubs: Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the banks of the River Trent.