Key Takeaways
- Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will face each other in a rare all-English Europa League semi-final.
- Villa crushed Bologna 7-1 on aggregate, while Forest edged Porto 2-1 to reach their first European last-four since 1984.
- Kenyan fans can look back at eight previous England-only European clashes that delivered drama, trophies and heartbreak.
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have booked a historic Europa League semi-final showdown, guaranteeing a Premier League club in this season’s final.
Unai Emery’s Villa were ruthless against Bologna, winning 7-1 over two legs, while Nuno Espírito Santo’s Forest shrugged off domestic struggles to beat Porto 2-1 and reach a European semi for the first time in 42 years.
English clubs have met on the continental stage before. Here are eight unforgettable all-English encounters.
1. Tottenham 1-0 Manchester United – 2024 Europa League final
Brennan Johnson’s first-half strike ended Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought and condemned United to another miserable season. Ange Postecoglou still lost his job despite delivering silverware.
2. Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea – 2005 Champions League semi-final
Luis García’s “ghost goal” at Anfield settled a tense tie. Chelsea protested the ball never crossed the line, but the referee gave it and Liverpool went on to lift the trophy in Istanbul.
3. Manchester City 4-3 Tottenham – 2019 Champions League quarter-final
VAR stole the headlines. Raheem Sterling’s late “winner” was ruled offside, sending Spurs through on away goals after a breathless 4-4 aggregate draw.
4. Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City – 2021 Champions League final
Kai Havertz rounded Ederson to hand Thomas Tuchel’s Blues the crown and leave Pep Guardiola still chasing his first European title with City.
5. Manchester United 4-3 Tottenham – 1963 Cup Winners’ Cup
The first all-English European tie. Spurs led 2-0 from the first leg, but a broken leg for Dave Mackay left them a man short. United stormed back through David Herd and Bobby Charlton to advance.
6. Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal – 2019 Europa League final
Eden Hazard’s two-goal farewell in Baku tore Arsenal apart. Olivier Giroud also haunted his old club as Maurizio Sarri collected his first managerial trophy.
7. Tottenham 3-2 Wolves – 1972 UEFA Cup final
Martin Chivers struck twice at Molineux and Alan Mullery added another at White Hart Lane to make Spurs the inaugural winners of what is now the Europa League.
8. Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea – 2008 Champions League final
Cristiano Ronaldo scored early, Frank Lampard levelled before half-time. After extra time and a slip from John Terry in the Moscow rain, United won 6-5 on penalties to mark 50 years since the Munich tragedy with a third European crown.
Villa and Forest now hope to add their own chapter to this list when they meet in late April and May.