Nottingham Forest edge Aston Villa 1-0 in Europa League semi-final first leg

LONDON: Nottingham Forest took a narrow lead in their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa after Chris Wood converted a second-half penalty to secure a 1-0 win in Thursday's first leg at the City Ground.

The decisive moment came after Villa defender Lucas Digne handled the ball in the area, allowing Wood to score from the spot in the 71st minute. The goal was the New Zealand forward's fifth of a season disrupted by injuries and left Forest close to reaching their first European final since 1980.

Vitor Pereira's team extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches. The result also kept up a strong turnaround in a season that has included a relegation struggle and multiple managerial changes. Forest are five points above the Premier League relegation zone and now head into the return leg with an advantage.

The second leg will be played at Villa Park on May 7, with the winners set to meet either Braga or Freiburg in the final in Istanbul on May 20. Braga won the first leg of the other semi-final 2-1 on Thursday.

It's nice to have the advantage but going to Villa Park will be a tough game. They're good at their place, Wood said.

It's small moments that can potentially change games. Thankfully it went in our favour tonight.

Forest move closer to rare European milestone

Reaching Istanbul would mark a significant moment in Forest's turbulent campaign. After the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche, Pereira has guided the club to its first European semi-final since the 1983-84 UEFA Cup, when Forest were beaten by Anderlecht.

Forest, who were European champions in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough, are playing in Europe for the first time since the 1995-96 season. They are chasing their first major trophy since winning the League Cup in 1990 and have not appeared in a major final since losing to Manchester United in the 1992 League Cup.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, remain in contention for a top-five Premier League finish and qualification for next season's Champions League. However, elimination at this stage would be another disappointment in a competition closely associated with manager Unai Emery, who has won the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, and also finished runner-up with Arsenal.

Villa have, however, fallen short in recent semi-finals under Emery, losing to Olympiacos in the 2024 UEFA Conference League and to Crystal Palace in the 2025 FA Cup. The club has not won a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup, while its last major continental final was the 1982 European Cup victory over Bayern Munich.

Villa start brightly before Digne error proves costly

Villa began on the front foot. Youri Tielemans tested Stefan Ortega with a long-range effort, before Ollie Watkins set up Morgan Rogers for a curling shot that also drew a full-stretch save from the Forest goalkeeper.

Forest then settled into the contest, although Elliot Anderson was fortunate to avoid a red card after a heavy challenge on Watkins. The hosts created a strong chance when Anderson clipped a pass to Morgan Gibbs-White, whose delivery found Igor Jesus, but Emiliano Martinez produced a one-handed save to deny the close-range volley.

Watkins had another opening early in the second half when Rogers' shot fell to him from close range, but he directed his effort straight at Ortega from five yards.

With little separating the sides, the breakthrough arrived after Omari Hutchinson chased an overhit cross and managed to hook the ball back into play just before it crossed the byline. Digne then raised an arm and blocked it, prompting a VAR review that confirmed the ball had remained in play. Wood stepped up and fired the penalty past Martinez.

After falling behind, Emery responded by substituting Digne and introducing Jadon Sancho, Douglas Luiz and Ian Maatsen. Forest, however, preserved their lead to take a slender but important advantage into the second leg.