Nottingham Forest fall short as Villa reach Istanbul and the what ifs linger | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest's Europa League run ended with a 4-0 semi-final second-leg defeat at Villa Park, sending Aston Villa to the final in Istanbul.

Forest arrived with a 1-0 lead from the first leg but were outplayed throughout. According to Nottingham Post, Villa controlled every department and fully merited their progress.

An injury-hit Forest were short of options. Vitor Pereira had only three fully fit substitutes. Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare and Dan Ndoye were not expected to play, Murillo featured briefly but was not fully fit, Ola Aina missed out and Callum Hudson-Odoi’s season had already been curtailed.

Despite a 10-match unbeaten run and Monday’s 3-1 win at Chelsea, the visitors produced a flat display, shrinking from the occasion once the first goal went in. The fearlessness seen under Pereira in recent weeks was missing.

Unai Emery underlined his Europa League pedigree, now into a sixth final of his career, and Emi Martinez even tried to disrupt Forest’s pre-match huddle. Ultimately the tie was decided on the pitch, where Forest lost too many duels and never found a foothold.

Even so, returning to Europe after three decades and reaching the last four in a chaotic season remains a source of pride. Lessons from this run, including the importance of key players, will inform the summer.

Survival still needs sealing, with three league games left and the squad stretched. They are close, but cannot assume it is done. Get that job finished, then comes a pivotal window and, make no mistake, they will be back in Europe.

Source: Nottingham Post