Aston Villa moved into the Europa League final with a dominant 4-0 home win over Nottingham Forest, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit and earning a meeting with Freiburg in Istanbul. The margin set a European record for an all-English tie and highlighted a decisive night in Villa’s attempt to end a 30-year wait for major silverware.

Ollie Watkins opened the scoring before half-time, with Emiliano Buendia adding a second early in the second period. John McGinn then struck twice in quick succession to seal a 4-1 aggregate success, becoming the first Aston Villa player to score a brace in a European final and underlining Villa’s authority across the two legs.

The second leg contrasted sharply with the first match at the City Ground, where Forest edged a 1-0 victory. Forest arrived in Birmingham with several injuries, which John McGinn felt influenced the contest, but Villa still needed to exploit that situation, and the team did so with a clinical display and sustained pressure.

McGinn explained how the hosts approached a potentially tense occasion, pointing to the atmosphere created by home supporters. “The atmosphere in here was electric. Anything can happen in a game. You can get somebody sent off in the first 10 minutes, first 15. We didn’t want to leave these games with any regrets, and I think we’ve done ourselves massive justice.”

This 4-0 victory represented the largest winning margin for an English club facing another from England in any European competition. It also returned Aston Villa to a major European final for the first time since the 1982 European Cup final, a gap of 44 years, placing the club among the longest waits recorded by English sides.

Unai Emery extended a strong personal record in the Europa League by reaching a sixth major European final, all in this competition between 2014 and 2026. Only Giovanni Trapattoni has appeared in more major European finals as a manager, while Emery has now advanced from 23 consecutive two-legged Europa League ties, underlining consistency at this level.

The achievement followed a difficult spell, as Villa entered the Forest clash after three straight defeats in all competitions. McGinn noted the effect of Emery’s experience: “He’s experienced a lot more European semi-finals than us,” McGinn added. “In the Conference League semi-final, we probably went a little bit too gung-ho, but we managed it. He’s been amazing, but so have all the managers I’ve played under. Steve Bruce gave me the confidence to play in England, Dean Smith gave me the confidence to play in the Premier League, Steven Gerrard taught me how to be a leader.”

McGinn described his emotions on a high-pressure night and assessed the team’s display. “I’m normally quite calm before games, but I was nervous. [It] was up with one of the best performances I’ve seen from a Villa team for a long time,” McGinn told TNT Sports. “I wasn’t nervous in terms of the team turning up. We’ve turned up in big games, maybe just not in big semi-finals. The injuries Forest have had maybe helped decide it, but we needed to capitalise – and we did.”

The Aston Villa captain also reflected on the demands around the club and the stakes in Istanbul, where Freiburg await. “We’ve had low moments, definitely. It’s a demanding club to play for, but when it’s like this, Villa Park is electric. What we’ve done in the last few years is exceptional. The margins in football are so slim. If we lose [against Forest], we’re the nearly men. When we go to Istanbul, we need to make sure we’re not the nearly men.”

With a record win over Nottingham Forest, a place in the Europa League final against Freiburg, and Unai Emery’s proven European record, Aston Villa now stand one match from their first trophy in three decades. The performance against Forest strengthened belief inside the squad that the long wait for major honours can end in Istanbul.