Aston Villa secured their place in the UEFA Europa League final on Thursday night with a commanding 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. The result overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg, setting up a historic meeting with Bundesliga side Freiburg in Istanbul on May 20.
It marks the club’s first European final since their legendary 1982 European Cup triumph and reinforces manager Unai Emery’s status as a specialist in this competition, as he prepares for his sixth personal Europa League final.
Emery made a tactical shift for the second leg, introducing Victor Lindelöf to the starting lineup in place of Amadou Onana. From the opening whistle, Villa took advantage of a passionate home crowd, maintaining high possession and creating several early chances.
While Nottingham Forest attempted to play on the counter-attack, they struggled to contain Villa’s offensive pressure, which finally broke through in the 36th minute. Emi Buendía beat two defenders in the box before finding Ollie Watkins, who finished from close range to level the aggregate score.
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The second half saw Villa continue their pursuit of the lead. The pivotal moment arrived in the 58th minute when VAR alerted the referee to a foul by Nikola Milenković on Pau Torres during a corner. Buendía stepped up to the penalty spot and converted with a low strike into the bottom corner, putting the hosts ahead in the tie for the first time.
Nottingham Forest attempted to respond through Elliot Anderson, but the Villa defense remained composed. The match was effectively decided in the 77th minute when Watkins turned provider, laying the ball off for captain John McGinn on the edge of the area.
McGinn’s first-time shot found the far corner, sealing a 3-1 aggregate victory. With this win, Villa becomes the latest English club to reach a major European final, carrying the momentum of a dominant domestic campaign onto the continental stage at Beşiktaş Park.
