Key Takeaways
- Aston Villa hammered Bologna 4-0 at Villa Park, winning the tie 7-1 on aggregate.
- Ollie Watkins opened the scoring for his 100th club goal and Emiliano Buendía, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa added the rest.
- Villa now face Nottingham Forest in a historic all-English Europa League semi-final at the end of April.
Forty-two thousand fans roared Aston Villa into the Europa League last-four as they swept aside Bologna with a confident 4-0 home win, sealing a 7-1 aggregate victory.
England striker Ollie Watkins reached a personal century for the club after only seven minutes, finishing a slick move. Morgan Rogers saw a spot-kick saved moments later but within a minute Emiliano Buendía smashed in the rebound. Rogers headed a third before half-time to end a 12-game scoreless run, and defender Ezri Konsa completed the rout late on.
Coach Unai Emery, who has now won 20 of his 25 Europa League knockout matches as a manager, praised his side’s focus. “We controlled the game from the start and gave the supporters a special night,” he said. “The semi-final will be tough, but we believe.”
Nottingham Forest, who shocked German side Bayer Leverkusen in their quarter-final, visit Villa on 30 April before the return at Villa Park on 7 May. It is the first time two English clubs have met at this stage of the competition since Arsenal played Manchester United in 2009.
Watkins, 30, has scored four goals in his last four matches after a quieter spell. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: “Hitting 100 goals for Villa is huge. My next target is 100 in the Premier League. If we finish top-five and lift this trophy, it would be a dream season.”
Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano admitted the better team progressed. “We lost the tie in the first leg,” he said. “Villa punish every mistake. We wish them luck for the final.”
Villa are also seven points clear of Chelsea in the league, putting Champions League qualification firmly in their own hands.