Nottingham Forest take a narrow lead into the Europa League semi-final second leg after a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at the City Ground, where Chris Wood’s precise penalty on 71 minutes settled a tense all-English tie between the two former European Cup winners.
The spot-kick arrived after a lengthy VAR check for handball against Lucas Digne, and Wood struck high into the top-left corner. Aston Villa now need to overturn the deficit at Villa Park next Thursday, while Forest stand one game from a first European final since lifting the 1980 European Cup.
The decisive incident began when Omari Hutchinson chased a seemingly lost ball and hooked it against Digne’s outstretched arm near the byline. The assistant initially judged the ball out of play,
but referee Joao Pinheiro changed the decision after reviewing the pitch-side monitor and awarded the penalty that gave Forest their Europa League semi-final advantage.
Wood’s goal continued a productive spell for the forward, who had scored in Forest’s 5-0 win over Sunderland the previous week. That strike means Wood now has goals in consecutive matches for Forest in all competitions for the first time since January 2025, when Wood netted against Liverpool and Southampton.
This Europa League semi-final is the first last-four European meeting between two English clubs since the 2008-09 Champions League, when Manchester United, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez, defeated Arsenal 4-1 on aggregate. Forest also extended an unbeaten home run against Villa to five games, all in the Premier League, with three wins and two draws.
Forest’s latest penalty added another statistical note to their European campaign. Excluding shoot-outs, it was their seventh spot-kick of this Europa League season, already the most awarded to any club in a single edition since the competition adopted its current branding in 2009-10. The data underlined how often Forest have forced decisive moments inside opposing penalty areas.
Underlying numbers, however, suggested Aston Villa created slightly clearer openings over the match. Vitor Pereira’s Forest finished with 0.77 expected goals, while Unai Emery’s visitors posted 1.46 expected goals. That gap reflected Villa’s periods of pressure, yet Forest’s disciplined defending and Wood’s clinical finish left the tie tilted in the hosts’ favour at the halfway stage.
Both goalkeepers influenced that expected-goals balance during a cagey first half. Stefan Ortega first pushed aside an early drive from Youri Tielemans, then nearly saw Ola Aina’s cushioned back-pass gift Emiliano Buendia a chance. Soon after, Ortega dived to turn away a curling left-footer from Morgan Rogers, using strong hands to push the effort clear of danger.
Forest’s own major first-half opportunity fell to Igor Jesus, who met a low cross with a guided side-foot finish. Emiliano Martinez reacted superbly, twisting mid-dive to block the attempt and then smothering the ball before it could slip beneath the Argentina international’s body, keeping the contest goalless at the interval.
A lively start to the second half brought more Villa threat, with Ortega denying Ollie Watkins after a smart move. Forest also endured a nervous VAR check when Elliot Anderson lunged into a challenge on Watkins; officials briefly examined the tackle for a possible red card but decided the initial punishment was sufficient and no dismissal followed.
Once ahead, Pereira’s team dropped into a compact shape and protected the lead with organised defending. Villa’s clearest late opening again fell to Tielemans, who surged onto a pass from Rogers inside the box, but the midfielder leaned back and drove the rising shot high over the bar, wasting Villa’s best chance to equalise.
Taking a lead to Villa Park. pic.twitter.com/bheT1hGYkzNottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 30, 2026
The narrow victory leaves Forest closer to a European final, but the tie remains finely balanced. Emery has progressed from each of Emery’s last five Europa League semi-finals, achieved across spells with Sevilla, Arsenal and Villarreal, so Villa still carry significant experience as they try to overturn Forest’s slim Europa League semi-final Nottingham Forest advantage at Villa Park.
