The atmosphere in Birmingham was electric from the start, with over 43,000 fans, including a jubilant Prince William, cheering on the home side. Villa controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, despite the absence of Amadou Onana, who was replaced in the lineup by Victor Lindelof. The breakthrough came in the 36th minute when Emi Buendia slalomed through the Forest defense to provide a perfect assist for Ollie Watkins. The England striker, playing with a bandaged head following an earlier collision, slotted the ball home to level the aggregate scores and ignite the stadium.
Forest, led by Vitor Pereira, struggled to regain the composure that had served them well in the first leg. Their situation worsened in the 58th minute when Nikola Milenkovic fouled Pau Torres in the box. Following a VAR review, a penalty was awarded, and Buendia stepped up to coolly beat Stefan Ortega, handing Villa the aggregate lead for the first time in the tie.
As the match entered its final stages, John McGinn took center stage to put the result beyond doubt. In the 77th minute, Morgan Rogers and Watkins combined to set up the Villa captain, who fired a crisp shot into the far post. Just 156 seconds later, McGinn struck again, latching onto another Rogers pass to drill a low effort into the near post.
This victory marks a significant milestone for Aston Villa, as they reach their first major European final since their 1982 European Cup triumph. For Unai Emery, it is a personal masterclass, reaching his sixth Europa League final across his illustrious career. Villa will now face German side Freiburg on May 20, standing just one win away from their first major trophy in 30 years.
Aston Villa lineup: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Lindelof, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.
Nottingham Forest lineup: Ortega, Jair Cunha, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Hutchinson, Dominguez, Anderson, McAtee, Igor Jesus, Wood.