Two English Premier League sides have written their names into 2024-25 UEFA Europa League history, securing an unprecedented all-English showdown in the semi-finals after commanding quarter-final second leg wins on Thursday.
Unai Emery’s in-form Aston Villa turned a solid 3-1 first-leg advantage into an emphatic 7-1 aggregate rout, crushing Italy’s Bologna with a 4-0 clean sheet at their home ground Villa Park. The result marked Villa’s second consecutive European semi-final appearance under Emery, following their 2023-24 Conference League last-four run, and extends the four-time Europa League-winning manager’s incredible legacy in the competition.
England international striker Ollie Watkins once again led the charge for Villa, opening the scoring in the 16th minute to cap a fluid 14-pass team build-up finished with a close-range tap-in from Morgan Rogers’ assist. The goal marked Watkins’ 100th goal across all competitions for the club, pushing him to the top of Villa’s all-time European scoring charts with 10 goals, overtaking club legends Peter Withe and John McGinn.
Though Rogers missed a 25th-minute penalty after a Bologna handball, Emiliano Buendia struck just one minute later with a blistering effort to double Villa’s lead. Rogers redeemed his miss before halftime, scoring his first goal in 12 matches with a clinical strike past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia. Center-back Ezri Konsa capped the dominant display with a 89th-minute volley, sealing a resounding home victory.
“We needed to get the first goal, it was very important. They are a dangerous team away from home,” Villa captain John McGinn said after the match. “A great first half gets us to a semi-final, I’m delighted.”
Over at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, the underdogs pulled off a historic upset to knock out Portugal’s Porto, securing a 2-1 aggregate win with a 1-0 second-leg victory. Forest, currently 12 places below Villa in the Premier League table, reached their first continental semi-final since the 1983-84 UEFA Cup, more than 40 years ago. Playing in Europe for the first time since 1995-96, the result is a landmark moment for the club. The match was shaped by an early red card for Porto defender Jan Bednarek, who was sent off in the 8th minute for a dangerous foul on striker Chris Wood that forced the New Zealander off injured.
Forest capitalized on their numerical advantage just four minutes later, when Morgan Gibbs-White’s deflected strike from the edge of the box looped into the Porto net. The goal celebration carried emotional weight: Gibbs-White held up a shirt bearing the name of teammate Elliot Anderson, who missed the match following the death of his mother. Another touching moment came at halftime, when former Forest striker Tony Woodcock was finally presented with his 1980 European Cup winner’s medal — he had been denied the honor after leaving the club mid-season during the side’s second consecutive European Cup title run amid a strained relationship with legendary manager Brian Clough.
Porto came close to forcing extra time twice in the second half, with William Gomes and Alan Varela both hitting the woodwork from close range, but Forest held on to secure their place in the semis. Forest manager Vitor Pereira, whose side is currently fighting a relegation battle in the Premier League, paid tribute to his team’s character after the win. “The club and the supporters deserve it. I have a fantastic team. They have the spirit, character and quality,” he said, adding he would not turn his focus to the Villa semi-final until after this weekend’s league match against Burnley.
Two other sides booked their semi-final spots on Thursday. Germany’s Freiburg reached their first ever Europa League semi-final after a 3-1 away win over Spain’s Celta Vigo, wrapping up a dominant 6-1 aggregate win with an opener from Igor Matanovic and a brace from Japanese winger Yuito Suzuki. Portugal’s Sporting Braga completed a comeback to beat Real Betis 4-2 away, sealing a 5-3 aggregate win to set up a semi-final tie against Freiburg.