Aston Villa were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, leaving them with a one-goal deficit to overturn at Villa Park next week.
Match Overview
Chris Wood converted a penalty in the 71st minute after Lucas Digne raised his hands in the box, blocking Omari Hutchinson's cross. The defeat ended Villa's run of nine successive Europa League victories, the longest winning streak in the club's UEFA history and an English record in the competition. It was only their second loss in the Europa League this season, the previous coming at Go Ahead Eagles in October.
First Half Action
Villa settled quickly and created the first opening when Morgan Rogers saw his effort blocked after Ollie Watkins led a counter-attack. In the ninth minute, Amadou Onana won the ball back in midfield, allowing Youri Tielemans to strike from distance, but Stefan Ortega made a comfortable save. Villa had three corners in the opening 15 minutes and looked the more dangerous side. Forest issued their first warning when Ezri Konsa blocked a strike from Igor Jesus. Morgan Gibbs-White then lifted the ball to the back post, where Chris Wood was waiting to head home, if not for Emi Buendia tracking back. Rogers had another opportunity cutting inside from the right and shooting with his weaker left foot, but Ortega produced a strong save. Watkins took a painful knock when Elliott Anderson caught his ankle near the dugout. Anderson later played a key role in the best chance of the half, clipping the ball to Gibbs-White, who found Jesus unmarked near the penalty spot. However, Emiliano Martinez produced a brilliant save, clawing the ball off the line.
Second Half and Decisive Moment
Forest started the second half brighter, and Villa were forced into a change before the hour mark as Onana, returning from a knee problem, pulled up with another issue and was replaced by Lamare Bogarde. Shortly after, Watkins had Villa's best chance of the game when the ball fell to him following a deflection from Rogers' shot, but Ortega blocked his effort. Villa fell behind with 20 minutes to play after Digne raised both hands in the box as the ball looked to be trickling behind for a goal kick, but Hutchinson managed to cross the ball, blocked by the left-back's arm. After a VAR review, Wood made no mistake from the spot. The closest Villa came to an equaliser was when Tielemans lifted the ball high and wide after stepping into a dangerous position in the 90th minute.
Player Ratings
- Emi Martinez: Made a stunning save to stop Jesus just after the half hour mark, stretching to his left to claw the ball off the line. Rating: 7
- Matty Cash: Had the unenviable challenge of keeping Gibbs-White quiet and Neco Williams on the overlap. Rating: 5
- Ezri Konsa: Made a strong block to deny Jesus in the 23rd minute. Rating: 5
- Pau Torres: Has started eight of Villa's last nine matches across all competitions. Rating: 5
- Lucas Digne: Preferred to Ian Maatsen but made a terrible decision to raise his hands in the box, leading to the penalty. No excuse. Rating: 3
- Amadou Onana: Missed the weekend defeat against Fulham but returned to fitness. Put in crunching tackles in the first half, Villa's best player until he came off in the 55th minute. Rating: 7
- Youri Tielemans: Had Villa's first shot on target, calling Ortega into a routine save. Should have kept his effort down late on. Rating: 5
- John McGinn: Protected the ball well and linked play in the first half but was quiet from an attacking perspective. Rating: 5
- Emi Buendia: Found it difficult to escape Ola Aina but helped defensively. Quickly faded out of the action. Rating: 4
- Morgan Rogers: Saw an early shot blocked and later called Ortega into a fine save. Villa still need more from him. Rating: 5
- Ollie Watkins: Lively in transition, took a sore one from Anderson. Swung a leg at the ball from close range in the second half. Rating: 5
Substitutes
- Lamare Bogarde (for Onana, 54'): Played more than 30 minutes and could start against Spurs if Onana remains injured. Rating: 5
- Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 79'): N/A
- Douglas Luiz (for McGinn, 79'): N/A
- Jadon Sancho (for Buendia, 79'): N/A
Subs not used: Bizot, Wright, Lindelof, Mings, Garcia, Bailey, Elliott, Abraham.
Goals
Nottingham Forest: Wood (71')
Aston Villa: N/A
