Late goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga secured victory for Nottingham Forest in this battle of former European Cup winners and took them into the Champions League places ahead of Manchester City.

Forest continued their best start to a season in three decades after Jhon Durán scored the opener for Villa, who are now winless in their last five Premier League games following Champions League games.

This means Forest, who are celebrating their 5,000th league game, can secure fourth place, at least until City play Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Building on their remarkable wins at Anfield and Old Trafford this season, Nuno Espírito Santo has already guided them to eight league wins this season. Last season it took until their 36th game.

The Old City Ground was shaken to the core as, after a tight first period in which Nuno’s tactics helped undermine Villa’s strengths, Forest’s spirit took them to new heights. Finishing in the top four might be an exaggeration, but at the moment they are there because of their performance.

After Durán scored his 11th goal of the season with a header, Forest thought they had equalized in the 81st minute when the video assistant referee took almost three minutes to determine that Elanga was half a shoulder offside than he had previously been Morgan Gibbs-White’s pass was followed by a cross for Chris Wood to score. But they equalized when Milenkovic, who scored his first Premier League goal in last Saturday’s win at United, fired a header into the net from a Gibbs-White cross from the right.

Six minutes later, Elanga completed the comeback when he shot the ball into the goal from close range after another flowing move.

Tyrone Mings’ start to the season in the second division was put on hold when he fell ill in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Pau Torres. But while Villa’s defensive shape remained unchanged, the mobility of their midfield forced Forest to exercise unorthodox care when out of possession.

As John McGinn moved forward from his narrow position on the left, Ola Aina, Forest’s right-back, followed him inside, forcing recalled central midfielder Nicolás Domínguez to fill the space outside where Lucas Digne can be so productive.

Durán, starting again in the Premier League because Ollie Watkins was not fully fit, had a speculative volley over the goal but in a deadlocked first half Forest gradually made progress. Having enjoyed their best start in three decades and potentially a place in the top four, Forest were not lacking in confidence. Their plan to lock Villa out seemed to be working. At the other end, Wood headed over Neco Williams’ centre-back but Diego Carlos cleared before Domínguez could hope to capitalize.

Elliot Anderson slalomed his way down the inside left channel, but his shot deflected past Boubacar Kamara. Anderson ran to the other side to take the corner, but Murillo headed it just wide of the far post.

Villa, whose legs were tested but whose morale was boosted by a midweek victory over RB Leipzig that takes them close to automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, returned to the competition. A referee other than Sam Barrott might have given them a penalty as Anderson kept tugging on Morgan Rogers’ shirt as the pair ran into the box. Ezri Konsa was unlucky and headed McGinn’s free kick just wide of the far post.

Some heated exchanges between the two coaching teams reflected the tension at the start of the second half on either side of two notable contributions from Durán. First, the Colombian missed his volley completely when McGinn hit it clear at the back post from a corner. But then he responded immediately by turning and sending an overhead kick into the roof of the net.

His goal was preceded by one of the most remarkable saves you will see this season. After Gibbs-White sent in a corner from Anderson, Domínguez stooped low and headed towards goal from about four meters. It seemed like the ball was going under and over Emiliano Martínez, but somehow he reached back to hit the ball on the line. Carlos then chopped the rebound clear.

The importance of the rescue was underlined within minutes. Villa played an excellent possession game along the edge of Forest’s penalty area, from right to left, from Rogers to Durán, on to McGinn, out to Digne and back in to McGinn, whose sharp cross was expertly tucked in by Durán for his third goal in a week .