Aston Villa have reached the Europa League final after defeating Nottingham Forest across two legs of their semi-final, with Villa Park the venue for the second leg on Thursday evening.
The result sends Villa to the final in Bilbao on 21 May, where they will face the winner of the other semi-final between Real Sociedad and Olympique Lyonnais. It is Villa’s first European final since winning the European Cup in 1982, a gap of 43 years.
Sky Sports carried post-match reaction from Forest head coach Vítor Pereira, who pointed to his squad’s injury problems as a decisive factor in the tie. “It’s difficult to compete,” Pereira told Sky Sports, visibly frustrated by his lack of available options.T2, Sky Sports
Villa’s progression caps a remarkable European campaign under Unai Emery, who has built a deep run on a squad rotation model that kept his side fresh through the knockout rounds. Emery is attempting to win the Europa League for a record fifth time as a manager, having lifted the trophy four times with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016.
Forest’s exit ends their return to European competition after a 30-year absence. Pereira, who took charge in December, had guided the club through the group and knockout stages but was hampered by a lengthy injury list in the final weeks of the campaign.
The final takes place at San Mamés in Bilbao. Villa await the outcome of the remaining semi-final to learn their opponent.