Aston Villa secured a resounding 4-0 victory over Bologna at Villa Park, completing a 7-1 aggregate win in their Europa League quarter-final and setting up a semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest. The match got off to a strong start with Ollie Watkins scoring his 100th Aston Villa goal, finishing off an intricate team move.
Despite Morgan Rogers having a penalty saved, Emiliano Buendia quickly added a second goal, and Rogers later made amends before the break. This was a significant moment for Rogers, who ended a 12-game scoring drought for club and country. The second half was largely one-sided, with Ezri Konsa capping off the win with a late goal. Aston Villa's starting lineup featured Emi Martinez, who returned after being absent, and the team's performance was closer to their best, overwhelming the Italian opposition from the start.
Unai Emery, a Europa League specialist, has seen his side cruise through the competition, and they are now favorites to win. With a seven-point lead over sixth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League, Champions League qualification seems likely, but Emery is focused on winning the Europa League for the fifth time.
The semi-final against Nottingham Forest will be the first all-English semi-final in a European competition since 2009. Watkins, who has found his form with four goals in four games, expressed his excitement about reaching the milestone of 100 goals and is now focused on scoring 100 Premier League goals.
When asked about earning an England recall, Watkins said he needs to keep scoring goals. Aston Villa captain John McGinn praised the team's brilliant performance, and manager Unai Emery emphasized the importance of the semi-final, acknowledging the difficulty of beating teams at this stage.
Bologna head coach Vincenzo Italiano admitted that his team was outmatched, saying they were unlucky to face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.