Forest dreaming of place in Europa League final after VAR penalty call helps them

Forest have won seven penalties in this season’s Europa League, more than any other team, and Wood’s spot kick has the club’s supporters dreaming of a place in the final in Istanbul.

Chris Wood celebrates his penalty - Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Unai Emery is targeting a fifth Europa League trophy as manager, and this was only his second defeat in the last 27 matches in this competition.

Emery can never be written off, but there is now an added pressure to ensure that his team do not be remembered as the nearly-men.

This was Villa’s third major semi-final in three years but they have lost the previous two, in the Europa Conference League and last season’s FA Cup.

Villa are also trying to end a 30-year trophy drought which spans over 10,000 days since their League Cup win in 1996.

10:23pm

Post-match thoughts of Vitor Pereira

10:15pm

Morgan Gibbs-White speaking to TNT Sports

“He [Vitor Pereira] has been a massive part of the recent success we have had, with his tactics and passion. He has given me belief and confidence I needed to step up. He said we had to enjoy having the pressure on our shoulders and we have shown that abundance. He has given me the confidence to play with freedom. The atmosphere was incredible tonight and we put on a good performance. Even when they had the ball, we felt in control. With the ball, we were calm and confident. Delighted for Woody [Chris Wood] to score the penalty but it is only half-time in the tie and there is still work to do. All round a great performance from the boys.”

10:09pm

Aston Villa’s remaining games

May 3: Aston Villa vs Tottenham (Premier League)
May 7: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest (Europa League)
May 10: Burnley vs Aston Villa (Premier League)
May 17: Aston Villa vs Liverpool (Premier League)
May 24: Manchester City vs Aston Villa (Premier League)

If they can overturn this one-goal deficit in the second leg, the Europa League final would come in between games against Liverpool and Manchester City.

10:06pm

Nottingham Forest’s remaining fixtures

May 4: Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
May 7: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest (Europa League semi-final second leg)
May 10: Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle (Premier League)
May 17: Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
May 24: Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth (Premier League)

If Nottingham Forest overcome Aston Villa in this tie, they would have the Europa League final on May 20 in between their final two league games against Manchester United and Bournemouth.

10:03pm

Post-match thoughts of Forest’s goalscorer Chris Wood

10:00pm

Where things stand after the first legs

Nottingham Forest take a one-goal advantage to Villa Park next week. Meanwhile, over in Portugal Braga have beaten Freiburg 2-1 to also take a one-goal lead into an away second leg.

09:56pm

FT stats

Possession: Nottingham Forest 50%-50% Aston Villa
Shots: 11-10
Shots on target: 5-4
Corners: 5-7
Touches in opposition box: 19-23

09:52pm Video

Full time

Sancho has a late chance but his effort from the edge of the box is easily saved by Ortega.

Moments later, the final whistle is blown and Forest take a one-goal lead into the second leg at Villa Park next week. Wood’s penalty proves decisive tonight but still a leg to come. Advantage Forest.

09:51pm

90+4 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Forest are just one added minute away from taking a one-goal advantage into the second leg next week.

09:49pm

90+2 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Cash’s cross from the right is blocked by Williams and spins behind for a late Villa corner. Tielemans’ outswinger should be headed clear by Abbott but the Forest defender only succeeds in putting it behind for another corner. However, Forest deal with the next delivery as Wood heads away from danger.

09:47pm

90 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Due to the VAR review for Forest’s penalty, there will be five added minutes.

09:47pm

89 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

What a waste from Tielemans. After good work from Rogers, the Belgian midfielder has a good chance from the edge of the Forest box but blazes his effort high over the bar and into the stands.

Forest make a change as Yates replaces Jesus.

09:44pm

86 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Forest are looking pretty comfortable defending this lead and do not appear to be particularly nervy in the closing stages of this first leg.

09:39pm

82 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Aston Villa are staring down the barrel of just their second defeat in this competition this season. The only match they have failed to win was an away defeat at Go Ahead Eagles during the league phase but if they cannot find a goal here they will lose for just the second time in the Europa League this campaign.

09:35pm

79 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Tielemans catches Anderson late and is the first man into the book tonight.

Unai Emery is making a triple change as Maatsen, Sancho and Luiz all come on. Luiz spent the first half of this season on loan at the City Ground.

09:33pm

76 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Should Rogers have done better with that chance? Digne sends in a cross from the left, which picks out Rogers in the centre of the box, but the England man’s header goes well wide.

09:31pm

74 mins: Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0

Forest make their first change of the night as Abbott replaces Aina.

09:27pm Key moments • Goals • Video

GOAL! Wood puts Forest in front from the spot

An emphatic penalty to put the home side in front. Wood steps up to take and, despite Martinez guessing the right way, the Villa keeper has no chance of making the save as Wood deposits the spot kick into the top left corner. Advantage Forest.

Unai Emery motioning to his players to calm down. They are angry and ready to kick-off as Forest celebrate.

09:26pm Analysis • Video

PENALTY NOTTINGHAM FOREST!

The ball is deemed not to have gone out and it clearly strikes Digne’s arms high above his head so the referee changes his decision and points to the spot.

Wood steps up to take...

The only question there was whether the ball was out of play. If it was in play, there is no doubt that was a handball from Lucas Digne. This tie is alive.

Huge opportunity for Forest to take the lead - David Davies/PA

09:26pm

68 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

The Forest fans at the Trent End want a penalty. A cross to the back post is hooked back by Hutchinson and then strikes Digne’s arms. A goal kick is given as the officials believe the ball went out of play but the replays seem to suggest the ball had not completely crossed the line. If the ball has not crossed the line completely, this will surely be a penalty as Digne has his arms high above his head. This is a big moment in this tie as VAR is taking a lengthy look at this to check whether the ball has completely crossed the line or not.

The referee is sent to the screen and we know what this means...

09:22pm

65 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

That is a waste from Forest. They win a corner out on the left and take it short but Anderson’s delivery is easily caught by Martinez.

09:17pm Analysis

60 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Amadou Onana went to the bench rather than the dressing room after getting taken off. That is a good sign for Aston Villa as he was clutching a hamstring after defending a corner.

09:14pm Key moments • Video

57 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

That is a great save from Ortega. Rogers’ shot falls into the path of Watkins who, from just eight yards out, volleys first time. Ortega shows good reflexes to deny Watkins.

09:12pm

54 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

This is a worry for Aston Villa as they are being forced into a change. Onana seems to have picked up an injury to his left hamstring, when he was making that headed intervention a few minutes ago, and is replaced by Bogarde. That will be a concern for the second leg and Aston Villa’s remaining four league games.

09:10pm

53 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Anderson takes a quick free-kick and clips it into the Aston Villa box, looking for Wood at the far post. Onana gets back to head behind for a Forest corner. Williams’ delivery goes very deep and is headed behind by Rogers for another Forest corner on the other side.

Hutchinson’s delivery though from the right is poor, easily headed away by Digne at the front post.

09:08pm

50 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Play is halted as Hutchinson receives treatment after landing awkwardly on his shoulder. He does then get back to his feet and will continue. He has got the better of his head-to-head against Digne tonight.

09:02pm

Second half

We are back under way at the City Ground. Will either side take an advantage into the second leg at Villa Park next week?

08:58pm

Over in Portugal

In the other Europa League semi-final, Braga had taken the lead against Freiburg but the German side have equalised so it is 1-1 at the break.

08:57pm

Emiliano Martinez’s two big saves at the City Ground last season and tonight

08:55pm Analysis

Verdict at the break

That was an interesting half. There was excitement - it wasn’t the set-piece scrap that some had expected from two Premier League teams. Omari Hutchinson was the most creative player on the park and there were positive moments for both teams. Youri Tielemans did well for Villa retaining possession and setting up the start of attacking moves.

08:50pm

HT stats

Possession: Nottingham Forest 58%-42% Aston Villa
Shots: 7-4
Shots on target: 1-2
Corners: 2-4
Touches in opposition box: 9-5

08:46pm

Half-time

Right on the stroke of the break, Watkins is very lucky not to be booked for a clear and cynical shove on Anderson off the ball. He might see that as payback for the challenge by Anderson earlier but Watkins should have seen yellow for that.

That is the final act of the half as there is no added time. It remains goalless at the break.

Ollie Watkins could and perhaps should have been booked just before half-time - David Davies/PA

08:41pm

40 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

As we approach the break, it has been a fairly even first half that Forest have probably edged. They have definitely had the best chance of the game so far, with Martinez making that big save to deny Jesus.

08:35pm Key moments • Analysis • Video

33 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

A huge save from Martinez as plenty of Forest fans thought their side had taken the lead. Anderson lifts a lovely pass into the path of Gibbs-White on the left side of the box, who then squares the ball. Jesus takes it on the volley first time from around eight yards out but is denied by a fine save from Martinez, who initially stopped it and then had to make sure the ball did not roll over the line. That is the closest either side have come tonight.

Was that the save of the season from Emi Martinez? It was two saves in one really - first to deny Igor Jesus’ shot and then to scoop the ball off the line as it bounced towards goal. His face suggested he knew how good it was.

08:33pm Key moments • Analysis

32 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Watkins has gone down after a strong challenge from Anderson, who seemed to get the ball before catching Watkins on the ankle. When you watch the replays, they prove Anderson clearly got the ball but then the contact on Watkins was rash. VAR did check the incident but it is cleared. The slow-mo replays do not do Anderson any favours but there will be no red card. Watkins is now back to his feet.

Vitor Pereira was telling Ollie Watkins to get up after that challenge from Elliot Anderson - but the Aston Villa man’s ankle was definitely caught by his England team-mate. “Geordie Maradona,” sing the Forest fans. It was a robust tackle from the central midfielder.

08:31pm Analysis

30 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Morgan Gibbs-White is getting more into this now after a quiet start. Got his head onto the end of a cross, which went wide. And that run into the box and a Glenn Hoddle-esque attempted chip is more like his recent form.

08:29pm Key moments

27 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Ortega is forced into a good save. Rogers is found on the edge of the Forest penalty area and he cuts onto his left foot before curling a shot towards the far corner but Ortega gets down to his right well to make the save.

08:27pm

25 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Forest fans want a penalty. Hutchinson’s cross from the byline is blocked by Digne and some of the Forest fans behind the goal think there was a handball but there was not and unsurprisingly is cleared very quickly.

08:24pm

23 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

After Jesus has a shot blocked from the edge of the penalty area, Gibbs-White’s cross from the left side of the box looks to pick out Wood at the back post but Buendia heads it behind for a Forest corner. Hutchinson’s inswinger though is easily caught by Martinez.

08:22pm

21 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Jesus clips a good cross from the right to the back post, asking for Gibbs-White to attack it. Gibbs-White gets up above Cash but cannot guide his header on target.

08:21pm

20 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Forest are without a number of key starters tonight, including Murillo, Ibrahim Sangare and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Vitor Pereira has lined up tonight with Wood and Jesus up top together, which worked to good effect in Forest’s last game, a 5-0 win at Sunderland just under a week ago.

08:16pm

15 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Unai Emery knows what it takes to play at this stage of this competition, winning it four times, so knows how to set up his sides in a Europa League semi-final. It has been a quite cagey start to the game, perhaps Villa being sensible in the early stages of the away leg for them.

Unai Emery is a Europa League specialist - Mike Egerton/PA

08:13pm

12 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

In the other Europa League semi-final, Braga have taken the lead against Freiburg over in Portugal.

08:10pm Analysis

9 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Tielemans takes on a shot from range, forcing Ortega into a decent save diving to his right. It was a fairly routine save that Ortega should be making but still the shot needed saving.

Uefa have sent out a couple of variations on Villa’s formation. It is very fluid but Morgan Rogers is as advanced as Ollie Watkins on the pitch - often further ahead of him. It looks like two up front. Villa have already sent in a couple of long throws into the box. So this will be more like a Premier League game than PSG v Bayern Munich.

08:09pm

7 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

The first corner of the game goes the way of the visitors, with the final touch from a long throw into the Forest box coming off Dominguez’s head.

Villa take it short before working it all the way to the other side. McGinn then puts in the cross beyond the back post, where he picks out Konsa, but his cross is blocked by Aina.

08:04pm

3 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

Wood cannot believe what his teammate Jesus has done. Hutchinson’s cross from the right is lined up by Wood on the volley but instead Jesus takes the shot just in front of him, which was blocked. That was surely going to fall better for Wood than Jesus.

08:03pm Analysis

2 mins: Nottingham Forest 0 Aston Villa 0

The first shot of the game falls the way of the visitors, as Rogers has an effort blocked by Williams. Forest thought an offside would be given in the build-up but no flag went up.

“A European heritage formed long ago now rediscovered,” reads the Tifo in the Trent End among the home support.

Aston Villa are situated at a corner of the Bridgford Stand. Well, all apart from a section of hospitality ticket holders who are next to the press box at the City Ground. Those in the “posh seats” have police officers surrounding them.

08:01pm

Kick-off

As is customary at the City Ground, Mull of Kintyre rings around the stadium as the game gets under way. If you did not know, Mull of Kintyre was the best-selling single of the 1970s.

At the Trent End, the home fans unveil a banner saying “A European heritage, formed long ago, now rediscovered”.

We are under way in the first leg; can either side take an advantage to Villa Park for the second leg next week?

Midlands rivalry in the Europa League semi-finals - Darren Staples/Getty Images

07:57pm

Nearly ready for action

It is a beautiful late-April evening on the banks of the Trent as both sides emerge from the tunnel. Here is a reminder of how the sides line up this evening:

Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Williams, Morato, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Wood, Dominguez, Jesus, Hutchinson, Milenkovic, Aina.
Substitutes: Sels, Willows, Lucca, Yates, McAtee, Bakwa, Abbott, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks, Blake.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Bogarde, Maatsen, Lindeloh, Mings, Garcia, Luiz, Bailey, Elliott, Sancho, Abraham.

07:52pm

Vitor Pereira talking to TNT Sports

07:48pm

Pre-match thoughts of Unai Emery

07:44pm

Aston Villa’s last five results

Fulham 1 Aston Villa 0 (Premier League)
Aston Villa 4 Sunderland 3 (Premier League)
Aston Villa 4 Bologna 0 (Europa League)
Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 1 (Premier League)
Bologna 1 Aston Villa 3 (Europa League)

07:38pm

Nottingham Forest’s last five results

Sunderland 0 Nottingham Forest 5 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 4 Burnley 1 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 1 Porto 0 (Europa League)
Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 1 (Premier League)
Porto 1 Nottingham Forest 1 (Europa League)

Forest are in fact unbeaten in their last eight games in all competition, with their last defeat coming against Midtjylland in the first leg of the Europa League last 16 back in mid-March.

07:32pm Analysis

Winding back the clock

You have to wind the clock back to 1984 when Forest last reached the last four in Europe. That remains one of the most contentious matches in their history.

Older Forest fans will never forget the defeat by Anderlecht in the Uefa Cup second leg, where they witnessed a number of debatable decisions including a late disallowed goal by Paul Hart.

Years later it emerged that Anderlecht’s chairman, Constant Vanden Stock, had paid a £27,000 bribe to referee Emilio Guruceta Muro in exchange for help fixing the match. Clough was deprived of what could have been a third European trophy.

07:27pm

Ex-Forest man Steve Hodge speaking to TNT Sports

07:23pm Analysis

Emery loves the Europa League

To put Unai Emery’s formidable record in this competition into context, he has lost just once in his last 26 Europa League matches. That is a chilling statistic for Aston Villa’s rivals to read.

07:18pm

Ollie Watkins talking to TNT Sports

07:14pm Analysis

Remembering back to the 1980s

Two clubs with rich histories collide in an all-English semi-final and this feels like a truly big occasion.

In one corner there is Nottingham Forest, two-times European Cup winners under Brian Clough, preparing for their first semi-final in this competition since 1984.

They face an Aston Villa team who lifted the European Cup themselves in the early 1980s, carrying the pressure of a long trophy drought.

Unai Emery is gunning for Europa League trophy number five of his career.

Vitor Pereira, meanwhile, was sacked by Wolves in November but now finds himself two games away from a European final. Football is nuts, isn’t it?

07:08pm

Teams in full

Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Williams, Morato, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Wood, Dominguez, Jesus, Hutchinson, Milenkovic, Aina.
Substitutes: Sels, Willows, Lucca, Yates, McAtee, Bakwa, Abbott, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks, Blake.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Bogarde, Maatsen, Lindeloh, Mings, Garcia, Luiz, Bailey, Elliott, Sancho, Abraham.

07:02pm

‘DJs, discipline and dark arts – how Vitor Pereira turned Nottingham Forest around’

Six months after being sacked by Wolves, Vítor Pereira is two matches away from a European final and is closing in on league survival with Nottingham Forest.

Pereira was a surprise appointment when he was recruited as Forest’s fourth head coach this season, but is proving exactly what they needed. He has instilled a sense of calm amid a chaotic campaign and Forest 4.0 face Aston Villa in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday evening with a sense of momentum and with players smiling again.

Forest are unbeaten in eight games and no other Premier League team has scored more goals (16) since Pereira’s arrival on February 15. Morgan Gibbs-White is proving the talisman, with 10 goals in 2026 to boost his hopes of inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

06:58pm Analysis

Focus on the two lineups

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has chosen Stefan Ortega in goals for the Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa, with Matz Sels on the bench. His other changes from the team that thrashed Sunderland in the last Premier League game include Morato coming in for Jair Cunha and Ibrahim Sangaré being replaced by Nicolás Dominguez.

Unai Emery, the king of the Europa League, has made one change to the Aston Villa team beaten by Fulham at the weekend. Lamare Bogarde is replaced by Amadou Onana. The official Uefa team-sheet has Villa lining up as a 4-4-2, with Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins up front. But they can easily change into the 4-2-3-1 with Onana and Youri Tielemans protecting the back four.

06:55pm

Pre-match thoughts of Vitor Pereira

06:52pm

Unai Emery speaking to TNT Sports

06:48pm Key moments

Nottingham Forest team

06:45pm Key moments

Aston Villa team

06:45pm

Stunning evening for a European semi-final

06:41pm Key moments

All-English tie for place in the Europa League final

It is a Midlands derby in the Europa League semi-finals as Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa in the first leg at the City Ground. This is the first major European semi-final between two English clubs since Arsenal and Manchester United met in the Champions League during the 2008/09 season. These sides met in the Premier League just a few weeks ago on this very ground, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.

Nottingham Forest beat Porto 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to reach just their fourth major European semi-final and first since the eighties. Vitor Pereira’s side come into tonight’s game having boosted their hopes of Premier League survival since they booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals; they backed up a 4-1 home win over Burnley with a dominant 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Forest are unbeaten in their last four home games against Aston Villa.

“It will be good energy,” Pereira said. “What I ask every time in training and in games is for good energy. With good vibes we can achieve miracles, and in the end, we can be proud of ourselves. I think being positive is the only way to live life. We are moving our legs, we are breathing, it is good weather. The family is happy. We are ready to fight until the end, which is the only mentality I want to see. Almost all of us have a fantastic life. When we say it is a big challenge, of course it is, but it is a good challenge. For some people, it is a challenge to move. This is a good challenge. I work in the Premier League. I have no reason to be worried, I just want to be there, enjoy it and compete.”

Aston Villa comfortably overcame Bologna 7-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Unai Emery’s men fell to a 1-0 defeat at Fulham in the league on Saturday. Villa are into their second major European semi-final in three seasons, having lost to Olympiacos in the Conference League during the 2023/24 season.

“It is a key moment in this competition,” Emery said ahead of the game. “How we have been performing has been fantastic, but now the semi-final is 50-50 between the two teams. It is very important for both sides. Nottingham Forest have great history in Europe, having won the Champions League, and we have our own history as well, though not recently. Now, both teams want to keep doing something important in Europe. We will play two legs and, of course, the first 90 minutes are very important, but we will still have the second leg to play. When you are playing in the Premier League, the matches may seem the same, but they are different in terms of how you manage the momentum, even between the first half of the first leg and the second half of the second leg.

“We are in the semi-final of the Europa League and near the end of the Premier League season, with our target so close and very important; to achieve European qualification and Champions League football next season. Every player must be focused, playing with excitement and ready to play 90 minutes, 30 minutes, or even just a few minutes; this is the moment to contribute. Now is not the time for individual players to be selfish. Now is the time for the team to be together. Everybody is involved in a key moment this season, and in the important target we are facing.”

In the other semi-final, Braga are taking on Freiburg. Team news to follow shortly.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.