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.”
