Emmanuel Dennis was on the scoresheet for the first time as a Nottingham Forest player tonight in their 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Aston Villa.
The Super Eagles forward was making his first Premier League start for the top flight newcomers following his £15 million move from Watford in August.
He had previously made five appearances but all of them were off the bench, and he took full advantage of his starting role tonight by earning the struggling side a point.
The 24-year-old Nigeria international headed Forest into the lead in the 15th minute off a cross from a free-kick.
Remarkably, it was his third Premier League goal in three games against Aston Villa, having previously scored twice against them with Watford.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Dennis’ compatriot and international teammate, was an unused substitute for Forest tonight, although he has scored twice in the Premier League.
Former Manchester United star Ashley Young equalised seven minutes after Dennis’ strike with a fine effort from 25 yards that crashed past Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson into the bottom left corner.
It was Young’s first goal for Aston Villa since 2011 – when he was in his first spell at the club.
Young became the second oldest player to ever score a Premier League goal for Villa at 37 years and 93 days old.
Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who scored against Everton in October 2001 aged 37 years and 336 days, is the only Villa scorer older than Young.
With the draw, Nottingham Forest moved off the bottom of the Premier League past Leicester City and ended a sequence of five consecutive defeats.
