wood penalty the difference | nottingham forest edge aston villa 1-0
MATCH INFO
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Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa
Date: April 30, 2026
Competition: UEFA Europa League - Semi-Final 1st Leg
Venue: City Ground, Nottingham
nottingham forest beat aston villa 1-0 at the city ground to take a narrow advantage into the second leg of their europa league semi-final. chris wood scored a controversial second-half penalty to give vitor pereira's side the win in the first all-english european semi-final in 17 years.
Goals
minute 71 chris wood penalty. 1-0 forest. omari hutchinson hooks a cross back from the byline and it strikes the raised arm of lucas digne. after a lengthy var review to check if the ball stayed in play, a penalty was awarded. wood smashes it confidently past martinez.
How It Went
a very tight and tactical contest between the two premier league rivals. forest created the better chances in the first half but were denied by an absolutely miraculous point-blank save from emiliano martinez against igor jesus. villa dominated possession in spells but struggled to break down a resolute forest defense. stefan ortega also made a crucial stop to deny ollie watkins early in the second half. the match ultimately hinged on digne's handball, giving forest a precious lead to take to birmingham next week.
Quick Take
chris wood stays ice cold from the spot. a massive penalty in a high-pressure moment.
martinez's save on igor jesus in the first half was out of this world. kept villa alive.
digne will be kicking himself. absolutely no reason to have his arms raised there.
var controversy again. unai emery was furious that elliot anderson escaped a first-half red card for a tackle on watkins.
forest are now 90 minutes away from their first european final since 1980. villa park will be rocking for the second leg.