watkins leads the rout | aston villa crush nottingham forest 4-0 to reach europa final

MATCH INFO
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Aston Villa 4-0 Nottingham Forest
Date: May 7, 2026
Competition: UEFA Europa League - Semi-Final 2nd Leg
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham

aston villa thrashed nottingham forest 4-0 at villa park to completely overturn their first-leg deficit and win 4-1 on aggregate. ollie watkins opened the scoring in the first half, and a dominant second-half display secured unai emery's side a ticket to the europa league final.

Goals

minute 36 ollie watkins finish. 1-0 villa. emi buendia plays a perfectly weighted pass through the lines, watkins times his run and finishes clinically to level the tie on aggregate.
minute 52 john mcginn strike. 2-0 villa. the captain picks up a loose ball on the edge of the box and drives a powerful low shot into the bottom corner.
minute 75 leon bailey finish. 3-0 villa. rapid counter-attack down the right wing, bailey cuts inside onto his left foot and curls a beautiful effort into the far post.
minute 88 jhon duran header. 4-0 villa. a late corner is whipped into the box and the substitute duran rises highest to head home and put the icing on the cake.

How It Went

villa park was absolutely rocking from the first whistle. forest tried to sit deep and protect their narrow 1-0 aggregate lead, but villa's relentless pressure finally broke them down when watkins struck before halftime. the second half was completely one-sided. mcginn's early strike broke forest's spirit, and from there it was an attacking masterclass from the hosts. forest offered almost nothing going forward, picking up frustrated yellow cards through morato and cunha, and completely collapsed under the lights.

Quick Take

unai emery does it again. the ultimate european specialist guides another team to a continental final.
john mcginn ran the midfield. a true captain's performance to drive his team forward.
forest's european dream turns into a nightmare. completely outclassed and overwhelmed in the second leg.
emi buendia with a crucial assist to unlock a very stubborn forest defense in the first half.
villa park atmosphere was incredible. a historic night for the club as they head to the final.