Nottingham Forest edged further clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a battling draw against Aston Villa.

Vitor Pereira's side are three points above the bottom three, following Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, after Neco Williams cancelled out Murillo's own goal.

Morgan Rogers clipped the bar and blazed over for Villa in a potential dress rehearsal for a Europa League semi-final.

A point moved Villa level with third-placed Manchester United but a draw offers little clarity for the sides with different domestic ambitions.

"We need to show the spirit of a champion, the spirit of a fighter without complaining," said Forest boss Pereira.

"I know teams and players who prefer to be the victims - we prefer to be the fighters.

"This is the time to show talent and character because talent is not enough. Even when we make mistakes, it helps us move forward. With responsibility and spirit we will fight until the last game.

"It was a game open until the last minute and in the end I am happy with one point - one point is better than nothing.

"This is a moment in the season where it is very difficult to win games, even for teams at the top. We saw what happened with Arsenal. Every team has something to fight for."

Villa lost Emi Martinez to injury in the warm-up, the goalkeeper being replaced by Marco Bizot, yet struck first.

Forest benefitted from Martim Fernandes' outrageous own goal in Porto on Thursday but were on the wrong end this time when Murillo clumsily bundled Morgan Rogers' cross past Matz Sels.

Rogers hit the bar for Villa as they chased a second but Williams levelled seven minutes before the break when he drilled in low from 18 yards.

Bizot kept Villa level in the second half, turning the ball away after Matty Cash deflected it goalwards, and an excellent Sels save thwarted John McGinn.

Rogers then missed a golden chance when he blazed over from 10 yards after Sels saved Ross Barkley's effort and Ollie Watkins, chasing his 100th Villa goal, also fired over with 11 minutes left.

Villa sit fourth, six points ahead of Chelsea in sixth with the top five in the Premier League guaranteed Champions League football.

Boss Unai Emery defended Martinez, after the goalkeeper pulled out before the game for the third time this season.

"He was telling us, just in the warm-up, he was not feeling comfortable with his calf," he said.

"He was feeling painful and of course, the most important thing is how Marco responded with this circumstance. It's really fantastic."

Emery also backed Rogers after his second-half miss.

"He is having a fantastic season. He is part of everything offensively we have. His quality and his attitude is really fantastic," he said.

"Sometimes he needs rest because he is playing and playing and playing. Today he did a fantastic match, and when Emi Buendia came on in his position he was fantastic too.

"That is how we want to build in our system - playing one match on Thursday and then on Sunday, being consistent and demanding."

Forest are unbeaten in their past five games in all competitions as Pereira looks to steer them away from trouble.

With a three-point cushion to the relegation zone, survival is in their hands - especially with the visit of second-bottom Burnley to the City Ground next Sunday.

Four points from home games against Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and fellow strugglers Burnley would represent a crucial return in the fight against the drop.

They are battling for it and rode their luck against Villa - with Rogers and Watkins missing superb openings - but it is another point on the board.

Pereira's decision to rest a number of senior players for the midweek Europa League draw at Porto also paid off, and with Chris Wood making his return after six months out injured this week the momentum is with Forest.

Premier League survival is the priority - Pereira saying it would be a "disaster" if Forest were to be relegated - but in a week which will define their season they have made a positive start.

Porto visit in the Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday, and come Sunday evening Forest could be almost safe and into a European semi-final.

Rogers is attracting a lot of attention and the growing expectation is he will leave Aston Villa in the summer.

Villa will likely need to sell a star player, regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League, and Rogers is their best asset - especially with Boubacar Kamara out injured.

An impressive World Cup would also strengthen Villa's hand but the England forward needs to show more of a clinical nature throughout the pitch.

His second-half miss showed a lack of composure which has often hampered him this season, despite having slowly become one of the Premier League's top talents.

He still has 11 goals for club and country this season but none in his past 12 appearances, and if he is to earn a big-money move then he needs to show more consistency to prove he can make the step up.

Rogers is a good player but the lapses in his game mean he is not a great player yet.

At 23, time is very much on his side and the strides he has made under manager Emery in two years have been impressive - and at £16m he has been a bargain since joining from Middlesbrough.

Villa will make a healthy profit on Rogers - but he still has more to prove.

Nottingham Forest host Porto on Thursday (20:00 BST) in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, before Burnley are the visitors on Sunday (14:00).

Aston Villa will aim to reach the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday when Bologna come to Villa Park for the second leg of their quarter-final (20:00), with the visit of Sunderland following on Sunday (14:00).