Aston Villa reached the final of the Europa League under Unai Emery, ending a 30-year trophy drought. Prince William celebrated their victory over Nottingham Forest, setting the stage for a final against Freiburg.
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Aston Villa’s current generation of players were fearing a reputation as the nearly men, but could now become legends by winning the club’s first trophy in 30 years.
It is over 10,000 days since Villa last lifted silverware in 1996 and they have overcome their semi-final curse to reach the showpiece event of Unai Emery’s favourite competition.
With the future monarch Prince William in attendance, and wildly celebrating the second-half goals, Villa swatted Nottingham Forest aside with a stirring performance to set up a final with Freiburg later this month.
Emery has won the Europa League four times before and will secure his name in Villa history if he can win a fifth in Istanbul.
Villa had lost two previous semi-finals under him, in the Conference League and FA Cup, but victory here never looked in any doubt.
Forest will fondly remember their first European excursions in three decades and are close to navigating Premier League survival under Vítor Pereira.
This defeat ended a run of 11 unbeaten matches but they were disappointing and, with Morgan Gibbs-White not risked from the bench with a head injury, managed only two shots on target all evening.
Emery’s team were rampant in the final stages, with inspirational captain putting the gloss on a fine evening with two goals.
Aston Villa last lifted silverware 30 years ago, in 1996.
Unai Emery is the current manager of Aston Villa and is known for his success in the Europa League, making him a key figure in the club's current campaign.
Aston Villa will face Freiburg in the Europa League final later this month.
Prince William celebrated wildly during Aston Villa's match against Nottingham Forest, showing his support for the team.
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McGinn has spoken openly about those painful semi-final defeats but will lift the trophy if Villa can defeat their Bundesliga opponents on May 20.
Full report to follow...
10:42pm
10:41pm
10:29pm
10:20pm
With their European journey now at an end, Nottingham Forest will now return to Premier League matters and guaranteeing their safety. Here are their three remaining league games:
May 10: Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle
May 17: Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest
May 24: Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth
Vitor Pereira’s side are six points above the relegation zone with three games left.
10:18pm
May 10: Burnley vs Aston Villa (Premier League)
May 15: Aston Villa vs Liverpool (Premier League)*
May 20: Freiburg vs Aston Villa (Europa League final)
May 24: Manchester City vs Aston Villa (Premier League)
*That game was supposed to be played on Sunday May 17 but will be moved to Friday 15 due to Villa making the Europa League final.
Aston Villa could win the Europa League and finish in the Champions League places in the week - Nick Potts/PA
10:13pm
Forest could not take advantage of a first-leg advantage - David Klein/Reuters
10:11pm
Villa are on their way to Istanbul - Mike Egerton/PA
10:09pm
10:07pm
By royal approval - Carl Recine/Getty Images
10:03pm
Possession: Aston Villa 51%-49% Nottingham Forest
Shots: 18-7
Shots on target: 10-2
Corners: 6-3
Touches in opposition box: 23-8
Aston Villa dominated the numbers and the scoreline. One-way traffic at Villa Park tonight.
10:01pm
In all three of the major European finals to come in the next few weeks there will be an English club. Arsenal will play PSG in the Champions League final, Aston Villa will take on Freiburg in the Europa League final and Crystal Palace will face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final.
09:57pm
The final whistle is blown and Aston Villa book their place in the Europa League final. They have utterly destroyed Nottingham Forest tonight, winning 4-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate. It has been a very one-sided second leg and the Villa fans can look forward to the final in Istanbul later this month, where they will play German side Freiburg.
09:55pm
The Aston Villa fans start singing about Istanbul, with their side heading to the Turkish city in a couple of weeks for the final. It has been the perfect night for Unai Emery’s men.
09:53pm
Four added minutes but the tie is well and truly over.
09:52pm
09:50pm
So this is strange. Murillo has struggled with injury in the last few weeks and this game has gone yet is going to come on. What is the point of that when Forest have three crucial league games coming up to preserve their Premier League safety? Sinclair is also on for Forest. Hutchinson and Cunha come off.
09:49pm
Unai Emery is making his second change of the game as Buendia is replaced by Sancho. Buendia laid on the assist for Watkins and scored the penalty; he has played a crucial role tonight for the home side.
09:46pm Analysis
The Forest fans have started to leave. Villa Park is absolutely deafening. Is there a bigger talisman in the Premier League than McGinn? Villa are just a completely different team when he plays.
09:43pm Key moments • Goals
If there was any doubt about this tie five minutes ago, there is not anymore. Rogers lays it across the face of the box to McGinn and again the Villa captain strikes it first time. This time, the Scotland midfielder goes for the near post and gets his second goal in a matter of minutes. That is definitively game, set and match and Aston Villa are on their way to Istanbul.
09:40pm Key moments • Goals
Is that the goal that has sent Aston Villa to Istanbul? A long ball forward is headed down by Rogers into the path of Watkins, who lays it off to McGinn in space on the edge of the box. McGinn opens up his body and curls his effort into the far corner with aplomb. It is a good team goal by Villa but woeful defending from Forest, who look down and out to be honest. Villa have completely outplayed Forest tonight.
09:38pm Analysis
Emery has just screamed at Rogers for needlessly giving the ball away. Among all the excellent performances from the Villa players, Rogers has struggled to make a big impact on the game so far.
09:37pm
Unai Emery is going to make his first change of the night as Lindelof is replaced by Bogarde. Lindelof was deployed in the centre of midfield for the hosts tonight and is given a standing ovation by the home fans.
09:34pm
Double change for Forest as Lucca and Bakwa replace Wood and Morato. Lucca, who arrived on loan from Napoli in January, and Bakwa, who signed from Strasbourg last summer, have both struggled since arriving at Forest.
09:33pm
Wood has a massive opportunity to bring Forest level on aggregate but the offside flag eventually goes up. Wood is played in one-on-one but is denied by Martinez. Then the flag goes up. It would have been a tight call but Wood was probably just offside.
09:29pm
Rogers skips his way past a few Forest defenders before getting his shot away from just outside the box but Ortega gets down to his right to make the save. Villa are all over Forest, as they have been throughout the game, and may feel they could have scored more than twice tonight. Right now, the only silver lining for Forest is they just the one goal behind on goal difference.
09:25pm
McGinn has a glorious opportunity to put Aston Villa two goals ahead on aggregate but his shot from the penalty spot it straight at Ortega. The Villa captain will be frustrated he did not score there.
Gibbs-White has just returned to the Forest dugout and has his boots in his hands. We wondered how much he could actually play tonight and maybe Vitor Pereira’s hand will be forced by the scoreline.
09:24pm
Watkins puts the ball into the Forest net but the offside flag immediately goes up. Rogers’ sublime first-time flicks falls into the path of Watkins, who finishes past Ortega. However, Watkins was quite far offside.
09:21pm Key moments • Goals • Video
Buendia makes no mistake from the spot and puts it into the bottom left corner. Ortega guessed the right way but could not stop it. Prince William is delirious in the stands like all the other Villa fans inside Villa Park as Unai Emery’s side are ahead in the tie for the first time.
Prince William pretty delighted! - Lee Smith/Reuters
Villa’s record from the penalty spot has been absolutely awful. But Buendia kept his cool to beat Ortega. Forest will have to come out and try to score now. How long does Gibbs-White stay on the bench?
09:19pm Key moments
The referee only needs to take a few looks before pointing to the spot. It is so silly and unnecessary from Milenkovic. Aston Villa now have the chance to hit the front in the tie for the first time from the spot...
09:19pm
Should Villa have been given a penalty? Buendia cuts the ball across the six-yard box and Torres attempts a flick, which is blocked. Torres then goes to ground as Milenkovic has a hold of Torres’ shirt. The appeals are initially waved away but VAR is taking a look. The referee is then sent to the screen and we all know what comes next...
09:16pm Analysis
Tempers have been boiling in the dugouts as much as they have on the pitch. One of the members of Vitor Pereira’s coaching staff has just been booked as he felt Digne deserved a yellow card for a foul on Hutchinson. I suspect we have not seen the end of tensions simmering tonight.
The atmosphere in Villa Park is still good, but you can now sense the tension among both sets of fans and players. Everybody’s terrified of making a mistake.
09:14pm
Yates has only been on the pitch a few minutes and has already committed a few fouls, which has riled up the Villa players. Yates is showing some aggression that was mostly lacking from Forest in the first half but he needs to tread the line carefully.
09:12pm
Murillo, Gibbs-White and Sangare are all on the Forest bench tonight, with doubts over the fitness of all three. They are all key starting cops in this Forest side but how many minutes are they actually available for this evening?
McGinn clips in a good ball from the right into a dangerous area but it runs through everyone.
09:08pm
After being dominated in that first half, will Vitor Pereira make any changes to his Forest side at the break? The answer is yes as their club captain Yates replaces McAtee. Our very own John Percy made a point before the game about the rare starting chance for McAtee and he did not really take it, not that he was Forest’s only problem in that first half.
We are back under way at Villa Park.
09:02pm Analysis
Villa will be delighted with that first-half, but the tie is still on a knife-edge. Buendia has been everywhere for the home side and Watkins looks like a man on a mission. Vitor Pereira will be pleased to get his team in for half-time, so he can tweak things tactically. The Forest manager spent most of the first half sitting on a drinks bucket and scribbling notes. He’s got some big guns on the bench if he feels he needs them.
Ollie Watkins’ goal has Aston Villa level on aggregate - Mike Egerton/PA
08:56pm
Possession: Aston Villa 54%-46% Nottingham Forest
Shots: 11-2
Shots on target: 5-0
Corners: 5-0
Touches in opposition box: 14-5
08:52pm
The first half is brought to an end and Villa lead 1-0 on the night, with the tie level at 1-1 on aggregate. Villa have been all over Forest in that first half and their only regret may be that they only scored the one goal in those opening 45 minutes.
08:50pm
Cunha is the second Forest player into the book in this first half and that is a nasty challenge on Buendia. I would be surprised if VAR was not taking a look at that as he got none of the ball and his studs caught Buendia. Cunha is shaking his head and I have no idea why; if he saw the replays, he would know why he was booked and it coule have been more.
08:48pm
McGinn is lucky there. He catches McAtee late and there was no genuine attempt for the ball so the Villa captain is fortunate not to be booked for that challenge.
08:47pm
There will be four added minutes at the end of this first half.
08:46pm
With the way the game is going at the moment, Vitor Pereira might be relieved to hear the half-time whistle as soon as possible and regroup. The tie is level at 1-1 but Villa have all the momentum right now and could move ahead in the tie if Forest are not careful. There will be plenty of added time due to that head clash between Watkins and Morato.
08:44pm
There has been one goal tonight in this semi-final and there have been two in the other semi-final. Freiburg started the night 2-1 down against Braga but now lead 2-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
08:41pm
It is all Villa at the moment and Watkins eyes up his second goal of the night as he shoots from the edge of the penalty area but it is a fairly routine save for Ortega.
08:37pm Key moments • Goals • Video
You have to say that goal has been coming. Villa take the lead on the night and draw level on aggregate. It stems from sublime work by Buendia, who displays great footwork on the left side of the box to go in between Cunha and Anderson before squaring for Watkins inside the six-yard box. Watkins could not miss and he lifts it into the roof of the net.
The roof has just come off Villa Park. The home side had been knocking on the door and it was Watkins, in his bandage, who was in the right place at the right time. Will that alter Forest’s approach? Game on.
08:36pm
Tielemans shoots from range but he drags his effort wide. The space had opened up for the Belgian to shoot from around 25 yards out but the contact was not the purest. He was right to take the shot on though.
08:32pm
It has been quite a lengthy delay as Watkins was the one to come off worse from that incident. He has got some bandages around his head, Terry Butcher style, but is back to his feet and will continue, at least for now. Morato is also fine.
We are back under way.
08:31pm
The TNT crew have been debating whether that should have been a penalty. Watkins won the header and Morato accidentally then makes contact but does make contact with Watkins, even if it was accidental. Would that have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch?
Should this have been a penalty? - Michael Steele/Getty Images
08:28pm
Villa are on top at the moment and Forest are just holding on a touch. The visitors probably expected a fast and energetic start from the hosts and will need to just weather this storm.
Play is halted due to a clash of heads between Watkins and Morato. Watkins’ header from inside the box is easily saved by Ortega and simultaneously Watkins and Morato clashed heads. No foul there from Morato but both have felt the force of that contact.
08:26pm
In the other semi-final, Freiburg are now 1-0 up in the second leg against Braga, which means that tie is level at 2-2 on aggregate. Both semi-finals are finely poised.
08:24pm
Buendia is the man to take and the Forest wall does its job as Milenkovic got his head on it.
The ball goes behind for a corner, which is met at the far post by Tielemans but the Belgian’s header goes wide.
08:22pm
Buendia is brought down by Dominguez just outside the Forest box and the hosts will have a great shooting opportunity. Dominguez protested his innocence but the referee was right there looking at it and saw a clear foul.
Digne and Buendia are standing over it...
08:20pm
This game has been threatening to boil over with tensions simmering and the first booking of the night comes for the visitors. Morato slides in on Rogers and is shown a yellow card.
08:19pm
Is Morgan Gibbs-White fit enough to be involved for Forest at some point tonight, if needed?
Morgan Gibbs-White is on the bench for Nottingham Forest tonight - Mike Egerton/PA
08:18pm Analysis
Villa fans are getting annoyed with the time Forest are taking over set plays. They’re trying to put the referee under pressure, but he’s not buckled so far.
08:15pm
Watkins wins Villa a corner out on the left in front of The Holte End. Cash sends in an inswinger, which Torres meets. His flicked header is tipped over the bar by Ortega for another Villa corner. The hosts then win themselves a third corner in succession. Ortega punches away McGinn’s delivery before both Buendia and Watkins have shots blocked.
08:12pm Key moments
That could have been a huge moment in this tie. McAtee finds Hutchinson in space out on the right and the latter cuts inside onto his preferred left foot. His shot from the edge of the box looks like it might find the far corner but goes narrowly wide. Martinez had no chance of getting across to make the save had it been on target.
08:10pm
In theory, Villa could have lined up as a back three with three centre-backs named in the starting XI but Lindelof, as predicted, is in the centre of their midfield alongside Tielemans. It is a big call by Unai Emery and one that will be heavily scrutinised. Live and die by the sword I suppose.
08:06pm
McGinn swings a free-kick into the Forest box and puts it into a dangerous area at the back post. Both Konsa and Cunha are jostling to get on the end of it but the former cannot get a touch, with the ball running through for a goal kick. Konsa probably only needed a small touch and it could have been a goal. A dangerous moment for Forest.
08:02pm
We are under way at Villa Park. Forest bring a one-goal advantage into this second leg but who will book their place in the Europa League final in Istanbul later this month? Villa or Forest?
Emi Martinez is already at it. The Forest players huddled in front of their own fans in the Villa half and Martinez went over to try and move them on. The Villa fans have given their erudite thoughts on it…
Prince William speaks with Thomas Tuchel and Aston Villa Director of Football Operations Damian Vidagany - Dan Mullan/Getty Images
07:57pm
It is loud inside Villa Park as both sides emerge from the tunnel and we are just moments away from kick-off. A tifo is unveiled at The Holte End just before the players emerged. Here is a reminder of how the two sides line up this evening:
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Tielemans, Lindelof, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.
Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Elliott, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.
Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Jair Cunha, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, McAtee, Jesus, Hutchinson, Wood.
Substitutes: Sels, Willows, Murillo, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Lucca, Yates, Bakwa, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks.
The Villa fans have certainly cranked up the noise. It’s like Sunday against Tottenham never happened. The Forest fans are also out in force and will get behind their team. Callum Hudson-Odoi is here on crutches to support his team-mates.
The Aston Villa fans unveil a tifo ahead of kick-off - David Klein/Reuters
07:53pm
07:51pm Analysis
Not the first time this has been said this season, but a big night for James McAtee.
Signed from Manchester City for £25m in the summer, McAtee has endured a difficult first season at Forest.
His best performance was actually in the Europa League with an impressive display in the 4-0 win over Ferencvaros. He performed well in the 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday, too.
It’s understood that McAtee has been outstanding in training, but has struggled to transfer that into matches. Let’s see how he gets on tonight.
James McAtee starts for the visitors this evening - Carl Recine/Getty Images
07:47pm
Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White is out warming up in a seriously big mask. He just backed out of the way when a team-mate passed the ball towards him at head height. Could it be that he’s just on the bench in case of a penalty shoot-out?
The mask - Carl Recine/Getty Images
07:45pm
07:43pm
Evangelos Marinakis is in the house.
07:41pm
Aston Villa:
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0 (Europa League)
Fulham 1 Aston Villa 0 (Premier League)
Aston Villa 4 Sunderland 3 (Premier League)
Aston Villa 4 Bologna 0 (Europa League)
Nottingham Forest:
Chelsea 1 Nottingham Forest 3 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 1 Aston Villa 0 (Europa League)
Sunderland 0 Nottingham Forest 5 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 4 Burnley 1 (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest 1 Porto 0 (Europa League)
07:38pm
07:30pm
07:24pm Analysis
Seven months ago Vitor Pereira was sacked by Wolves after an utterly awful start to the season.
He has been held up as one of the key reasons as to why Wolves have been relegated to the Championship.
Yet now he finds himself potentially 90 minutes away from a European final and, almost, Premier League survival.
Football is officially bonkers, isn’t it?
07:19pm
The date is November 4, 2022, and Unai Emery is sitting in the ornate hall of Villa Park’s directors club. It is the official unveiling of Aston Villa’s new head coach, after £5.2m was paid in compensation to Villarreal, and the message is clear. “My dream is to win a trophy with Aston Villa. It’s my personal challenge,” he said.
Now, more than 3½ years later, he has yet another chance to fulfil that ambition.
Thursday night’s reunion with Nottingham Forest in the Europa League is Villa’s third semi-final in as many years and a defining moment in Emery’s tenure. Damian Vidagany, the club’s director of football operations, has already called it the “match of our lives”. With so much at stake, it is arguably the club’s biggest game in decades.
07:15pm
07:11pm
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Tielemans, Lindelof, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.
Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Elliott, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.
Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Jair Cunha, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, McAtee, Jesus, Hutchinson, Wood.
Substitutes: Sels, Willows, Murillo, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Lucca, Yates, Bakwa, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks.
07:07pm Opinion
Villa’s co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are both here at Villa Park.
The big question is whether Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest owner, will be joining them.
Marinakis always leaves it late before turning up but enjoyed his last visit here with Olympiacos. His Greek club won 4-2 here two years ago and Marinakis was in front of the away fans celebrating after the final whistle.
07:04pm
07:00pm Analysis
Unai Emery has sprung a surprise in his Villa team, picking Victor Lindelof in midfield. The Swede started his career as a midfielder and has played there before for Benfica and Manchester United, but this is the first time he has started in the position for Emery.
06:56pm Analysis
Some breaking team news from Villa Park and Morgan Gibbs-White is IN Nottingham Forest’s squad.
Gibbs-White starts on the bench despite picking up a head injury in the 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday.
Big boost for Vitor Pereira.
06:53pm Analysis
This feels like a huge occasion, as two former European Cup winners collide at Villa Park. Villa are facing a defining moment under Unai Emery as they desperately bid to avoid losing a third semi-final under their Basque head coach.
Aston Villa need to turn around a one-goal deficit to make the Europa League final - Mike Egerton/PA
Emery has won four Europa League trophies before but comes into this game under scrutiny after THAT dire defeat by Tottenham on Sunday. Forest hold a slender advantage after a 1-0 win last week in Nottingham and are unbeaten in ten games.
The winners tonight will face either Braga or Freiburg in the final later this month in Istanbul.
Aston Villa fell to defeat in the league on Sunday between the two legs - Nick Potts/PA
06:49pm Key moments
06:46pm Key moments
06:45pm Video
Villa’s players have just arrived to a noisy welcome. It wasn’t easy to spot them through the claret and blue smoke but, trust me, they’re there somewhere.
06:40pm Key moments
Nottingham Forest take a one-goal advantage into the second leg of the all-English Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa at Villa Park. Chris Wood’s penalty following Lucas Digne’s handball gives Forest the lead coming into tonight’s second leg.
In between the two legs of this semi-final, Aston Villa lost 2-1 at home to Tottenham on Sunday to remain fifth in the Premier League. Unai Emery has won the Europa League as a manager on four occasions, the most of any manager, but is still looking to win his first trophy in charge at Aston Villa as he approaches four years in charge at the club.
“Each momentum is different, and as well in different competitions,” Emery said. “But every different experience we have should help us for days like tomorrow [tonight]. But today is our first one [semi-final] here playing one match. We played Conference League semi-final two years ago, but first leg at home, second leg away. Last year in the Champions League quarter-final it was the second leg at home but it was a quarter-final. Tomorrow [tonight], this match is special. It is different. We are playing in Villa Park. They have the advantage. For this reason for me they are the favourites. Tomorrow [tonight] we have a huge opportunity to enjoy momentum, to enjoy competing.”
Emery has confirmed that midfielder Amadou Onana will miss tonight’s game but John McGinn is set to be available.
Nottingham Forest took another big step to Premier League safety in between these two legs as they beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Bank Holiday Monday to move six points clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining. Vitor Pereira’s side come into this fixture in good form as they are currently on a 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
“Tomorrow [tonight] is a day to enjoy and to compete,” Pereira said. “We need to prove ourselves again. This is something to be grateful for, because we will be in a semi-final to try and reach a final, and we are there. It is a moment to show our mentality, that we are resilient and that we can compete from the first minute until the last minute in a fantastic atmosphere. I just want to be proud of my players, supporters and myself.
“The most difficult moments of my personal life were the moments that I became stronger. When we suffer, we remember the pain. When we remember the pain, we do everything to not feel that again. This is fire within us and, sometimes in life, this is powerful, when we want to prove ourselves. This is a moment for my players, because they have had tough moments this season, to not feel the pressure to win this competition, but to try and be the best version of themselves.”
Morgan Gibbs-White is a major doubt having been involved in a heavy collision with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez on Monday, which required plenty of stitches. Gibbs-White is one of a number of doubts for Forest coming into this game, including Ibrahim Sangare, Ola Aina, Murillo and Dan Ndoye.
The winner of this tie will face either Freiburg or Braga in the final. Team news to follow shortly.