Aston Villa 4-0 Nottingham Forest [4-1 agg]: McGinn and Buendia shine as Villains reach Europa League final
Aston Villa 4-0 Nottingham Forest [4-1 agg]: McGinn and Buendia shine as Villains reach Europa League final Aston Villa stormed to a dominant 4-0 win over fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest to set up a Europa League final appearance against Freiburg. Emi Buendia set up Ollie Watkins for the first goal and converted a penalty – after a short VAR check – for the Villain’s second to go ahead for the first time over the two legs. John McGinn scored two within five minutes in the second half to send his side into the final, the sixth of his manager and two-time winner Unai Emery’s illustrious career in the competition.
As it happened An early chance saw a James McAtee sweeping pass from left to right found Omari Hutchinson, who cut in and shot just wide. Shortly afterwards, Pau Torres flicked a header from a corner but it didn’t have the pace to beat Stefan Ortega. Watkins shrugged off a clash of heads with Morato, sporting a Terry Butcher-esque headband as a result, and scored on minute 35 to equal the tie at 1-1.
The credit should be given to Emi Buendia as his tricky skill on the left-hand side left Elliot Anderson stumbling and his drilled cross gave Watkins an easy tap-in. Aston Villa edged the first half. They applied intense pressure as the half went on and kept Forest mostly in their own-half.
When the away side did come up for breath, it was few and far between. Centre-back Pau Torres then found himself in the opposition box, attempted a flick towards goal, and had his shirt pulled by Nikola Milenkovic, prompting a swift VAR check. Penalty was the decision, and Buendia converted to give Villa a 2-1 lead on aggregate.
Shortly after, Morgan Rogers flicked the ball with his heel towards Watkins and the England striker found the net, only for it to be ruled out for offside. McGinn would then hit a shot straight at Ortega that he should have scored, but it was clear the confidence was flowing and the atmosphere was rocking in Villa Park. With 15 minutes left, McGinn curled the ball into the corner to make it 3-0.