(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Fri 8 May 2026 10:45, UK

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Aston Villa destroyed Nottingham Forest 4-0 on Thursday night to book their place in the final of the Europa League.

The Villans brought the tie home to Villa Park facing a one-goal deficit going into the second leg, but that was quickly erased by Ollie Watkins’ close-range finish in the 36th minute.

Unai Emery’s side dominated the game and pulled away from their visitors in the second half as Emi Buendia’s penalty completed the turnaround, before John McGinn added a late double to put some gloss on the scoreline.

The captain was as influential as ever from the right wing, as he turned in a tireless display that was rewarded with a crucial brace in the latter stages.

Villa’s victory over Forest has set up a date with Bundesliga side Freiburg in the Istanbul final, with that game set to take place on 20 May.

John McGinn hails Villa Park atmosphere

Villa Park has played host to some magical European nights in recent years, but Thursday’s victory over Forest is sure to be right up there for the way the team turned the tie around.

Emery’s men have seen their form dip drastically in recent weeks, but there was little sign of that against Forest, who simply couldn’t live with their energy in attack.

McGinn was central to everything in the Villans’ dominating performance, and he has taken to Instagram on Friday morning to share a message after his team reached the final.

“Wowwww,” the Scotland international wrote, accompanied by a series of photos showing him celebrating his goals.

“Villa Park was electric, see you in Istanbul UTFV.”

Messages of support from the skipper’s teammates quickly poured in, with Morgan Rogers commenting three love heart emojis, while Leon Bailey also wrote: “My Skippa.”

Unai Emery rewarded for tactical masterclass vs Nottingham Forest

Victor Lindelof played in midfield for Aston Villa on Thursday night, as Emery deployed a move that few would have seen coming prior to kick-off.

The Swede dropped into the backline to form a back three on the rare occasions that Villa were at threat, while he also helped them to completely overrun Forest in the middle of the park.

It was an assured display from the veteran, who has had to bide his time to get opportunities this term, but he certainly seized the chance that came his way against Forest.

Emery would have had fans raising their eyebrows with that element of his team selection, but it quickly turned into another tactical masterclass from the boss, as he out-thought his opposite number Vitor Pereira.