Aston Villa booked their place in a first European final for 44 years with a commanding 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Unai Emery’s side produced an impressive comeback performance to secure a 4-1 aggregate triumph and set up a final against German club Freiburg in Istanbul on 20 May.
Ollie Watkins drew Villa level on aggregate shortly before half-time before Emiliano Buendia converted a second-half penalty to put the hosts ahead overall. Captain John McGinn then struck twice in the closing stages to complete an emphatic night for the Premier League club.
The celebrations inside Villa Park included Prince William, a well-known Villa supporter, who watched from the stands as the home side moved within one victory of their first major trophy since winning the League Cup in 1996.
Villa are also seeking their first continental triumph since Peter Withe scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final.
For manager Emery, the result marked another milestone in a competition where he has enjoyed significant success. The Spaniard has previously won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, while also finishing runner-up with Arsenal. He will now prepare for a sixth final in the competition.
The achievement continues Villa’s resurgence under Emery, who took charge in 2022 when the club were only three points above the Premier League relegation zone. They are currently fifth in the league and remain in contention for qualification for next season’s Champions League through a top-five finish or by winning the Europa League.
Villa had suffered disappointment in recent knockout competitions, losing to Olympiakos in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2023-24 and to Crystal Palace in last season’s FA Cup semi-finals. However, they delivered a composed and ruthless display against Forest to move a step closer to silverware.
Nottingham Forest, unbeaten in their previous 10 matches before Thursday’s defeat, were attempting to reach a European final for the first time since 1980. Instead, the loss extended the club’s wait for a major trophy to 36 years.
Forest were also hindered by the limited involvement of midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who was only fit enough for a place on the bench after sustaining a serious facial injury the previous weekend.
The visitors started brightly and almost took an early lead when Omari Hutchinson curled an effort narrowly wide from outside the penalty area.
But Villa soon established control of the contest. Pau Torres forced Forest goalkeeper Stefan Ortega into a fine save with a header before the keeper denied Buendia with a low stop.
The breakthrough arrived in the 36th minute. Watkins, wearing a bandage after a clash of heads with Morato moments earlier, finished from close range after Buendia’s twisting run opened up the Forest defence.
“Blooded and bruised but unbowed,” Watkins continued despite the injury and calmly converted the chance to level the tie.
Villa maintained their momentum after the interval and doubled their lead in the 58th minute. Nikola Milenkovic was penalised following a VAR review for pulling Torres’ shirt in the penalty area, allowing Buendia to score confidently from the spot.
Forest briefly threatened a response, but Chris Wood was denied by Emiliano Martinez before McGinn sealed the outcome.
The Scotland midfielder collected Watkins’ flick before guiding a precise finish into the far corner in the 77th minute. Three minutes later he struck again, firing low beyond Ortega at the near post to spark jubilant scenes among the home supporters.
Villa will now travel to Istanbul as favourites to lift the Europa League trophy against Freiburg, who reached the first European final in their history after defeating Braga 4-3 on aggregate.
