Key Takeaways
- Aston Villa reached their second European semi-final in three years after beating Bologna 7-1 on aggregate.
- Unai Emery has guided Villa from a relegation battle in October 2022 to regular European knockout football.
- Villa now face Nottingham Forest in an all-English Europa League semi-final, with the winner heading to the Istanbul final.
Birmingham, 24 April — Ten years ago Aston Villa left Old Trafford with a 1-0 loss that sent them into the Championship after 29 years in the top flight. Today, the same club barely raised an eyebrow while strolling into a Europa League semi-final.
Villa’s 7-1 aggregate win over Bologna felt routine. That calm mood shows how far the club has travelled since Unai Emery took charge in October 2022. Back then the side sat one place above the drop zone; now they are fourth in the Premier League and planning another European final run.
Ollie Watkins, who hit a hat-trick across the two legs, says the speed of change still surprises him. “If you’d said we’d reach a Champions League quarter-final and now a Europa League semi-final, I’d have laughed,” the striker told TNT Sports after scoring his 100th goal for the club.
Emery’s record in the competition speaks for itself. The Spaniard has already lifted the Europa League four times, three of those with Sevilla alongside new Villa football director Monchi. Together they have brought clear tactics, smart recruitment and a winning mindset to Villa Park.
Villa’s European form has improved each season under Emery. In 2022-23 they qualified for the Conference League, then reached the last four. Last term they stepped up to the Champions League and made the quarter-finals, beating Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig along the way. Now they have gone one round further in the Europa League.
Standing between Villa and a 20 May final in Istanbul are Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees edged past Porto 1-0 on Thursday to reach a European semi-final for the first time since 1984. Forest still fight relegation domestically, yet they held Villa 1-1 in the league last weekend, so Emery is taking nothing for granted.
“We know how tough Forest are,” Emery said. “We must keep our focus over two legs.”
The first leg takes place in Nottingham on 30 April, before the return in Birmingham a week later. The prize is a final against either Braga or Freiburg.
For Villa fans who endured a decade of hurt, big European nights are no longer a memory from 1982. Under Emery, they have become the norm.