Match report

Aston Villa Stuns Nottingham Forest 4-0 in Europa League

Aston Villa
Aston Villa
4–0
FT
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest
May 7, 2026

Aston Villa stunned Nottingham Forest with a commanding 4-0 victory in their UEFA Europa League match. The match saw Ollie Watkins open the scoring with a goal assisted by Emi Buendia, who later added a penalty. John McGinn doubled his tally towards the end, ensuring a comprehensive win for Villa.

Key Facts

  • • Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the UEFA Europa League
  • • Ollie Watkins scored the first goal at minute 36
  • • Emi Buendia converted a penalty at minute 58
  • • John McGinn scored twice, at minutes 77 and 80
  • • Nottingham Forest's Morato and Jair both received yellow cards

Lineups

Aston Villa

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 23 E. Martinez (G)
  • 2 M. Cash (D)
  • 4 E. Konsa (D)
  • 14 P. Torres (D)
  • 12 L. Digne (D)
  • 3 V. Lindelof (M)
  • 8 Y. Tielemans (M)
  • 7 J. McGinn (M)
  • 27 M. Rogers (M)
  • 10 E. Buendia (M)
  • 11 O. Watkins (F)

Substitutes

  • 40 M. Bizot
  • 64 J. Wright
  • 5 T. Mings
  • 31 L. Bailey
  • 21 Douglas Luiz
  • 22 I. Maatsen
  • 9 H. Elliott
  • 26 L. Bogarde
  • 18 T. Abraham
  • 19 J. Sancho
  • 16 A. Garcia

Nottingham Forest

Formation: 4-4-1-1

Starting XI

  • 27 S. Ortega (G)
  • 23 Cunha (D)
  • 31 N. Milenkovic (D)
  • 4 Morato (D)
  • 3 N. Williams (D)
  • 21 O. Hutchinson (M)
  • 16 N. Dominguez (M)
  • 8 E. Anderson (M)
  • 24 J. McAtee (M)
  • 19 Igor Jesus (F)
  • 11 C. Wood (F)

Substitutes

  • 26 M. Sels
  • 67 K. Willows
  • 6 I. Sangare
  • 22 R. Yates
  • 10 M. Gibbs-White
  • 29 D. Bakwa
  • 5 Murillo
  • 20 L. Lucca
  • 14 D. Ndoye
  • 65 J. Hanks
  • 51 A. Whitehall
  • 61 J. Sinclair

Timeline

  1. Nottingham Forest
    18' Nottingham Forest Card · Yellow Card
    Morato

    Foul

  2. Aston Villa
    36' Aston Villa Goal · Normal Goal
    O. Watkins · Assist: E. Buendia
  3. Nottingham Forest
    45'+3 Nottingham Forest Card · Yellow Card
    Jair

    Foul

  4. Nottingham Forest
    46' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 1
    Off: J. McAtee · On: R. Yates
  5. Aston Villa
    56' Aston Villa Var · Penalty confirmed
    P. Torres
  6. Aston Villa
    58' Aston Villa Goal · Penalty
    E. Buendia
  7. Nottingham Forest
    71' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 2
    Off: Morato · On: D. Bakwa
  8. Nottingham Forest
    71' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 3
    Off: C. Wood · On: L. Lucca
  9. Aston Villa
    74' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 1
    Off: V. Lindelof · On: L. Bogarde
  10. Aston Villa
    77' Aston Villa Goal · Normal Goal
    J. McGinn · Assist: O. Watkins
  11. Aston Villa
    80' Aston Villa Goal · Normal Goal
    J. McGinn · Assist: Morgan Rogers
  12. Aston Villa
    86' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 2
    Off: E. Buendia · On: J. Sancho
  13. Nottingham Forest
    88' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 4
    Off: Jair · On: Murillo
  14. Nottingham Forest
    88' Nottingham Forest subst · Substitution 5
    Off: O. Hutchinson · On: J. Sinclair
  15. Aston Villa
    90' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 3
    Off: Morgan Rogers · On: T. Mings
  16. Aston Villa
    90' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 4
    Off: J. McGinn · On: L. Bailey
  17. Aston Villa
    90' Aston Villa subst · Substitution 5
    Off: P. Torres · On: Douglas Luiz

Match Stats

Stat Aston Villa Nottingham Forest
Fouls 13 12
Pass Accuracy 84% 83%
Offsides 1 2
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 18 7
Corners 6 3
Total Passes 376 360
Yellow Cards 0 2
Blocked Shots 5 1
Shots on Target 10 2
xG 2.58 0.79
Shots off Target 3 4
Possession 51% 49%
Goals Prevented -0.00 -0.00
Accurate Passes 314 297
Shots Inside Box 12 3
Saves 2 6
Shots Outside Box 6 4

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ The early goal by Ollie Watkins at 36 minutes set the tone for Aston Villa's dominance
  • ▸ Emi Buendia's penalty at 58 minutes cemented Aston Villa's lead and demoralized Nottingham Forest