Aston Villa storm into Europa League final with emphatic win over Forest

Aston Villa booked a place in the UEFA Europa League final for the first time in 44 years after crushing Nottingham Forest 4-0 on Thursday night.

Despite trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Unai Emery’s side produced a commanding display at Villa Park to secure a 4-1 aggregate victory.

Ollie Watkins opened the scoring shortly before half-time before Emiliano Buendía added a second from the penalty spot after the break.

Club captain John McGinn capped the memorable evening with a late brace to complete Villa’s demolition of Forest.

Villa will now face German club SC Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20 after Freiburg defeated Braga 4-3 on aggregate.

Celebrations at Villa Park included prominent supporter Prince William, who watched from the stands as Villa moved within one game of ending their long wait for silverware.

The Midlands club are seeking their first major trophy since the 1996 League Cup and their first European triumph since beating FC Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup Final.

The final also represents Emery’s sixth appearance in the Europa League final, having already won the tournament four times during his managerial career.

Villa dominated much of the match despite arriving on the back of three straight defeats and criticism following their recent loss to Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Watkins opened the scoring after overcoming a painful clash of heads with Morato, with the striker converting after Buendía’s impressive solo run split the Forest defence.

Villa extended their lead in the second half after Nikola Milenkovic fouled Pau Torres inside the area, allowing Buendía to calmly beat goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from the penalty spot.

Forest attempted a response through Chris Wood, but goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made a crucial save to preserve Villa’s advantage.

McGinn then put the result beyond doubt with two late goals, sparking wild celebrations among the home supporters.

The loss ended Forest’s unbeaten 10-match run and denied them a first European final appearance since 1980.

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