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Chris Wood penalty gives Forest narrow first-leg lead over Villa
TL;DR
Chris Wood's penalty secured Nottingham Forest a narrow first-leg lead over Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-final. The match marked a significant return to European competition at the City Ground after decades.
Key points
- Chris Wood scored a penalty for Nottingham Forest
- Forest leads Aston Villa 1-0 in the first leg
- The match was significant for the City Ground's European history
Chris WoodNottingham ForestAston VillaElliot Anderson
Chris Wood penalty gives Forest narrow first-leg lead over Villa
Chris Wood's second-half penalty gave Nottingham Forest a first-leg advantage against Aston Villa in the all-Premier League Europa League semi-final.
It had been decades since the last European semi-final at the City Ground and this one took a while to get going but soon opened up.
The first notable incident of the game came with just over a half hour gone when Elliot Anderson will have felt he was lucky to stay on the pitch. The England midfielder's tackle on international teammate Ollie Watkins wasn't a pretty one and caught the striker on the ankle.
VAR had a look at it but didn't decide to elevate it â a lucky escape for Anderson who would on another day likely have seen red.
Just a few minutes after that Forest almost scored if it hadn't been for some outstanding goalkeeping. Igor Jesus shot from just a few yards out that Emiliano MartĂnez did well to get a hand to which stopped it from immediately crossing the line, which it would have done had the Argentinian not quickly swung his other arm over to avert a certain goal.
In the second half it was Stefan Ortega caught into action after Morgan Rogers put in a ball that Watkins latched on to but went straight at the goalkeeper.
Q&A
What was the outcome of the Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa semi-final first leg?
Nottingham Forest won the first leg against Aston Villa 1-0, thanks to a penalty scored by Chris Wood.
When was the last European semi-final held at the City Ground?
This match marked the first European semi-final at the City Ground in decades.
Who was involved in the controversial tackle during the match?
Elliot Anderson was involved in a controversial tackle on Ollie Watkins, which raised concerns about a potential red card.
