Aston Villa have booked their place in the UEFA Europa League final after a commanding 4-1 victory over Nottingham Forest, marking the club’s first major European final appearance since the 1982 European Cup final.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Villa produced a stunning comeback performance at Villa Park to progress in emphatic fashion and continue their remarkable resurgence under manager Unai Emery.

Ollie Watkins opened the scoring after being set up by Emiliano Buendía, who later added a composed penalty to put Villa firmly in control of the tie.

Club captain John McGinn then stole the show with two brilliant goals in quick succession, sending the home crowd into celebration as Villa sealed a memorable European night.

The result sends Aston Villa into their first European final in 44 years, reviving memories of their historic 1982 European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich.

Emery’s achievement also adds another chapter to his outstanding European pedigree, with the Spanish coach now reaching his sixth major European final between 2014 and 2026. Only Giovanni Trapattoni has managed more major European finals.

Villa will now face SC Freiburg in the Europa League final on May 20 in Istanbul, Turkey.

For Freiburg, the final represents a historic milestone, as the German side have reached a major European final for the first time in their history.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace advanced to the UEFA Europa Conference League final after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at Selhurst Park, completing a dominant aggregate victory.

Palace will face Rayo Vallecano in the final as they continue their impressive European campaign.