Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park, securing a 4-1 aggregate victory to reach the Europa League final. The team, managed by Unai Emery, showcased a strong comeback after trailing from the first leg.
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Villa roar past Forest to reach Europa League final
Aston Villa produced a stunning comeback at Villa Park to beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 and book their place in the Europa League final with a commanding 4-1 aggregate victory.
Trailing from the first leg, Unai Emery’s side started with intensity and gradually took control after a lively opening spell.
Forest threatened early through Omari Hutchinson, but Villa soon found their rhythm and levelled the tie seven minutes before the break.
Emi Buendia was heavily involved, weaving through defenders before squaring for Ollie Watkins to tap home from close range and spark celebrations inside Villa Park.
The hosts carried that momentum into the second half and moved ahead on aggregate just before the hour mark. Pau Torres was pulled back inside the area by Nikola Milenkovic and, after a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot. Buendia stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to put Villa in control.
Vitor Pereira's side struggled to respond and were fortunate not to fall further behind when Watkins had another effort ruled out for offside. Chris Wood had the visitors’ best chance, but stood firm to preserve Villa’s advantage.
Aston Villa won the match 4-0 against Nottingham Forest.
Aston Villa secured their place in the Europa League final with a commanding 4-1 aggregate victory over Nottingham Forest.
The manager of Aston Villa is Unai Emery.
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John McGinn then wrapped things up in style with two goals in the space of three minutes. The Villa captain first rifled into the far corner from the edge of the area before calmly guiding another finish beyond Stefan Ortega to complete a memorable night.
Villa will now face Freiburg in Istanbul as they chase a first major trophy since 1996.