Overview
- Aston Villa advanced 7-1 on aggregate following Thursday's 4-0 second-leg win to set up a Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
- Emi Buendía, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa added goals after Ollie Watkins opened the scoring, and Bologna’s Federico Ravaglia saved a Rogers penalty.
- Watkins’ tap-in was his 100th goal for Villa, and he said he aims to keep scoring to force an England World Cup recall after missing the last squad.
- Emery called the semi-final “something special” and Villa will play Forest on April 30 at the City Ground before the return at Villa Park on May 7.
- Reporting highlighted a recurring penalty issue for Villa, noting nine misses from 21 spot-kicks since May 2023, which could matter if a tie goes to a shootout.