Chris Wood’s penalty settled a tight Europa League semi-final first leg as Nottingham Forest beat Aston Villa 1-0 at the City Ground after a VAR review reversed an initial call that would have given Villa a goal-kick. Replays showed Lucas Digne’s raised arm met Omari Hutchinson’s hooked effort while the ball remained in play, and Wood converted the spot-kick with a driven finish that Emiliano Martínez could not keep out.
Martínez had earlier produced a fine stop to deny Igor Jesus, getting to a volley and gathering before it crossed the line, while Forest goalkeeper Stefan Ortega also kept out a point-blank Ollie Watkins effort. Villa largely controlled long periods of the match and will feel they did enough to take back to Villa Park, but Forest enjoyed the atmosphere at the City Ground, where the Trent End unfurled a banner commemorating the club’s European triumphs in 1979 and 1980.
Forest head coach Vítor Pereira praised his players’ spirit and resilience after the game, calling them a “special group” and stressing they can recover and prepare for their upcoming Premier League trip to Chelsea. Unai Emery, meanwhile, was incensed by a separate incident in which Elliot Anderson’s challenge on Watkins was not penalised; Emery described the tackle as “close to breaking his ankle,” criticised the VAR for failing to intervene and demanded an explanation.
The Digne handball drew less sympathy: the ball looked headed for a goal-kick, but his raised arm allowed Hutchinson to strike it into him and the resulting penalty proved decisive.
Team news: Forest brought in Morato and Nicolas Dominguez for the injured Jair Cunha and Ibrahim Sangare, while Amadou Onana replaced Lamare Bogarde for Villa. Selected player ratings — Nottingham Forest: Ortega 7, Williams 8, Anderson 8, Jesus 7, Wood 7; Aston Villa: Martinez 7, Tielemans 7, Watkins 6, Digne 5. Player of the match: Neco Williams.
Elsewhere in the semi-finals, Braga beat Freiburg 2-1 in the first leg in Portugal. Looking ahead, Villa travel to face relegation-threatened Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday (7pm) and Forest visit Chelsea on Monday (kick-off 3pm).