McGinn double helps Villa crush Forest to reach Europa League final<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aston Villa reached the Europa League final with a 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest including two goals from John McGinn in the second leg of their all-English semifinal on Thursday for a 4-1 aggregate victory as they chase a first trophy in 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Premier League side face Freiburg in Istanbul on May 20 after the Bundesliga team beat Braga 4-3 on aggregate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Unai Emery’s Villa team came out all guns blazing at a pulsating Villa Park and got the lead their dominance deserved in the 36th minute when Watkins tapped in following brilliant footwork from Emiliano Buendia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Buendia got Villa’s second with a coolly struck penalty after Nikola Milenkovic needlessly tugged Pau Torres’ shirt in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Captain McGinn swept in carbon-copy goals in the 77th and 80th minutes to spark delirium among most of the 43 000 fans, including Villa-supporting Prince William.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alan Shearer Hails McGinn and Watkins as Villa March to Europa League Final<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer has lavished praise on Aston Villa stars John McGinn and Ollie Watkins following their dominant 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Villa cruised through to the final with a 4-1 aggregate success, their first European final appearance in 44 years. McGinn stole the show with a quickfire brace in the closing stages (77′ and 80′), while Watkins opened the scoring with a clinical finish on 36 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking on *Match of the Day*, Shearer singled out the pair for their standout performances. “McGinn was superb \u2013 full of energy, drive and clinical finishing. Those two goals showed exactly why he’s so important to this Villa side,” Shearer said. “And Watkins? He just keeps delivering. Great movement and a lovely goal to set the tone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ex-Premier League record goalscorer highlighted Villa’s intensity and attacking flair under Unai Emery. “This team has real quality and character. McGinn and Watkins led from the front and were a cut above.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Villa fans will hope the duo can maintain this form as they chase silverware in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Villa were European champions in 1982 and last won silverware when they lifted the League Cup in 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They will hope four-time Europa League winner Emery can add to his tally – for the first time with an English club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There’s no better manager than this to get us prepared for this game and obviously take us into the final as well,” said Watkins, whose head was bandaged for most of the game after an early clash. “His track record speaks for itself. We’re in a great position. We need to go there and win now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emery’s unmatched four Europa League wins as a manager include three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VILLA RELISHING FINAL DATE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buendia said the extraordinary atmosphere at Villa Park – one of the best most fans could remember – played a huge part in enabling Villa to dominate the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They were a 12th man,” he said. “We’ve shown all season how well we can play, and we did it today, we deserved this.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It was a great performance all round,” added double goalscorer McGinn. “The atmosphere in here was electric … but we’ve still got one game to go to achieve what we want.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apart from one early shot by Omari Hutchinson, Villa’s fellow English Midlands opponents Forest went down tamely, managing only two shots on target to the hosts’ 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forest, themselves European champions in 1979 and 1980, have like Villa been waiting a long time for a trophy since their last one, the League Cup in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In truth, they were utterly outplayed on the night by a team 11 places above them in the Premier League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forest manager Vitor Pereira, the club’s fourth of a chaotic season, lamented injuries in his squad and recent exertions to haul themselves clear of the Premier League relegation zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I\u2019m proud of my players because they tried everything, but in the end we did not have the conditions to compete in this game,” he said. “Today was not possible. It\u2019s a pity.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result justified Emery’s decision to rest some Villa players for Sunday’s Premier League game against Tottenham, a 2-1 defeat that drew criticism from fans in a sharply contrasting atmosphere to the euphoria on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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