Nottingham Forest

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest deserved their win against Aston Villa, which gives them something to defend in next week's second leg - but should Elliot Anderson have been sent off?

The midfielder's first-half challenge on Ollie Watkins went unpunished but left his England team-mate in agony on the turf. Replays showed Anderson clattered into the Villa striker's ankle.

Watkins tried to get retribution later, barging into Anderson and avoiding a yellow card, but Villa may feel a sense of injustice they were not playing against 10 men.

To make matters worse for Villa, Anderson was the heartbeat of Forest's performance which earned them a justified advantage.

Would it have come had referee Joao Pinherio - or VAR - sent Anderson off?

The official then awarded them the match-winning penalty after a lengthy VAR delay following Lucas Digne's bizarre decision to raise his hands to Omari Hutchinson's hook back.

Nothing should take away from the effort and determination from Forest, though, as they extended their run to nine unbeaten games in all competitions - their best run of the season.

Crucially, they do not have to win at Villa Park next week. And while Villa will continue to be dangerous and the tie is certainly not over, it is advantage Forest.

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira, spoke to TNT Sports after his side's victory over Aston Villa in the Europa League: "They are a very tough team, but we competed with them. I like to see us playing football, trying to score. We have time to recover a bit and prepare for Chelsea. This is a special group of players.

"Unai Emery is a top manager, he has been with his team for a long time. We are together for a short time. In the end it was a good fight. I am very competitive, that's why I like to be in the Premier League, to compete with this kind of manager.

"I had the privilege to be the manager of these boys, they are a fantastic group [with] spirit. Four managers in a season, and finishing at this level, competing at this level together and united - this is a honour for me.

"We changed the players but kept the spirit. The mentality to try to win games. The supporters, fantastic, they help us a lot. Next time we face a big battle.

"For me it's an honour to manage this club, to try to help these payers, to see the smiles on the faces of these supporters. To be part of the Nottingham family with a manager in the memory of everyone [Brian Clough].

"I am very proud of my players."

On Villa: "The problem in the game last time we played them, a lot of times it was two against two, and it's not easy to control them. I asked my players to play four against four with just one midfielder jumping.

"I am proud we played in our way, pressing high but if they attack then reorganise team in a block. Tactically, we did what we should.

"The transition of Villa is very dangerous, when they drive with the ball at our defensive line, it's a big problem.

"When we go to win the ball we cannot lose, because they are very aggressive in that moment."

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions (W6 D3), while winning four in-a-row for the first time since January 2025 (run of seven).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

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Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira makes three changes for the Europa League semi-final first leg.

Jair Cunha misses out after being forced off in Friday's 5-0 win at Sunderland with Morato starting in defence.

Nicolas Dominguez replaces Ibrahim Sangare, with the midfielder also coming off at the Stadium of Light injured, while Stefan Ortega starts in goal.

Nottingham Forest XI: Ortega, Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, Hutchinson, I.Jesus, Gibbs-White, Wood.

Subs: Sels, Willows, Lucca, Yates, McAtee, Bakwa, Abbott, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks, Blake.

Amadou Onana starts for Aston Villa having been a doubt with a knee problem which kept him out of Saturday's defeat at Fulham.

He replaces Lamare Bogarde in Villa's only change as they look to take a first-leg lead back to Villa Park next week.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Lindelof, Elliott, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.

There are four semi-final first legs taking place in the Europa League and the Conference League on Thursday, and BBC Sport will be keeping you up to date.

Europa League:

• Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sporting Braga v Freiburg

Conference League:

• Rayo Vallecano v Strasbourg

• Shakhtar Donetsk v Crystal Palace

Kick-off times 20:00 BST

Get in-depth coverage of Forest v Villa, plus updates from Braga v Freiburg here

And go here for live text commentary of Palace's game, plus Rayo Vallecano v Strasbourg updates

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Europa League commentary on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina expects Thursday's Europa League semi-final "to be a cracker" and a showcase of competitive English football.

Forest host Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the first leg of the semi-finals, where Villa are winless in the past four seasons.

"It's massive," said Aina to BBC Radio Nottingham. "It's two historic clubs in Europe with competitive teams so it's going to be a cracker.

"It's going to be a tough game for both sides, but one that we will relish.

"We definitely need to be on top form and have the fans behind us. Hopefully then, we can get the results that we want.

"We are unfortunate where we have been this season in the table and I think we have just been unlucky. It's undeniable that we have fantastic players here.

"I feel like we can match most teams we come up against and that's the confidence that I have in my teammates and what we're doing here.

"We have the formula, but sometimes on the day you need a bit of luck so hopefully there is some."

Also hear Aina's interview with BBC Radio Nottingham on BBC Sounds

And listen to BBC Radio Nottingham from 18:00 BST for all the build-up to the semi-final with Colin Fray, James Perch and Steve Hodge

Image source, Getty Images

Vitor Pereira says he remembers Nottingham Forest "being one of the strongest teams in Europe" when he was growing up so to lead them into their fourth European semi-final is a special feeling.

"We have a chance to write our names into the history of this club," the Reds boss told BBC Radio Nottingham. "But I don't think about doing it for me.

"I think about our supporters because a lot of them don't really have the money to buy tickets, but they do it through sacrifice to come and support us.

"This is more to make them happy.

"I'm not at a stage of my career where I need titles to satisfy myself, but it is, of course, an honour to be here and get titles."

Pereira also acknowledged how for a whole generation this is the biggest night of the club's history as they face Aston Villa in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final.

"When I was a kid, I remember Forest being one of the strongest teams in Europe," he added. "It's important to go back in time and understand how big the club is."

He also said he takes inspiration from legendary former Forest boss Brian Clough, who won the European Cup twice with the club: "This week, I went into the city and saw a big statue of Brian Clough and he makes people feel proud."

Listen to Pereira's interview with BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray on BBC Sounds or hit play below...

The latest news and views on Forest in two minutes, every weekday afternoon.

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Former Nottingham Forest striker Robert Earnshaw is expecting a "really interesting" Europa League semi-final between his old club and Aston Villa.

Despite a difficult season in which they have cycled through three permanent managers, Forest are unbeaten in six Premier League games and have moved five points clear of the relegation zone with four matches to play.

Villa have been plagued by inconsistency in recent months but are in a strong position to get a place in next season's Champions League through the Premier League table.

"The level at the bottom of the Premier League is very high right now and Forest show that," Earnshaw told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"Last year they qualified for Europe and finished in the top seven but now they are fighting relegation and in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

"They are good enough and the quality of their players is good enough.

"Forest have hit form. In the last month they've been on fire. I think they will stay in the Premier League easily now, they've taken care of that. Now it's whether they can achieve history. If they beat Villa they are in the final of a European competition and that is so big for Forest.

"These two teams drew 1-1 not long ago in the league and you feel like between them it's always small little details in the game that changes things. That's how close they are.

"Villa will have an advantage because of Unai Emery's experience, but then you've got the unknown and nothing to lose attitude of Forest. It will be a really interesting tie.

"When you hit Europe everything is fresh. It's not the Premier League. There is pressure too for both teams in different ways."

Listen to the full chat from 08:20 on BBC Sounds

Explore more Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest landed the bargain of the season in Igor Jesus, according to former Botafogo boss Renato Paiva.

The striker is the Europa League's joint top goalscorer with seven going into Thursday's semi-final first leg against Aston Villa at the City Ground.

Forest paid Botafogo £10m for Jesus last summer and the 25-year-old has 15 goals.

Paiva said: "Pedro Ferreira [Forest's head of recruitment] worked with me at Benfica and he asked me about Igor and I said: 'Wow, my friend, he's an incredible player.'

"When we spoke about the price, I said: 'My god, this is very, very cheap.' Before the Club World Cup, even cheaper.

"He's a very complete player. The number nine I think all the coaches are searching for. He's the first guy that defends - you say to press and he presses, you say to close the spaces and he close spaces. He's a very clever guy and understands what the coaches want."

Forest struck a deal before the Club World Cup last year, with Jesus scoring in Botafogo's shock win over Paris St-Germain which Paiva masterminded, but his former manager believes it was an error from the Brazilians. The deal was eventually announced in July.

"It was a mistake to sell a player before the competition," said the former Benfica youth coach. "Strategically, it's an error. After the competition you probably will have better offers.

"But I understand sometimes this kind of business is defined by the timing."

Jesus has scored five in the Premier League this season, including two in his past two games - and Paiva believes Jesus could be key against top-flight rivals Villa.

"It's taken a little bit of time to adapt. The most curious thing, when you try to analyse since he arrived, are his numbers in the Premier League and his numbers in the Europa League," he said.

"Probably the Europa League is not so demanding as the Premier League.

"Against Aston Villa, it's a different environment. It's a very difficult game for Nottingham Forest and for Igor.

"Aston Villa are one of the best teams of the Premier League, with one of the best coaches in the world - but this is not the Premier League, it's the Europa League and Igor can surprise us with another very good performance."

Manchester United do not want to get into a bidding war for Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 23, who is also a target for Manchester City, and could turn to other targets such as Brighton's Cameroon international Carlos Baleba. (ESPN, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina says Vitor Pereira's side are "relishing" the prospect of an all-Premier League Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa.

Forest host the West Midlands side in Thursday's first leg unbeaten in six in the Premier League and after taking a huge step towards survival with a big win at Sunderland on Friday.

"We're working hard every week. We're looking forward to a semi-final now," Aina told the media in Forest's pre-match news conference.

"The boss has done a great job but everyone has put in hard work. We're reaping the benefits of that.

"I don't really think there's that much pressure on us. We're all very proud to be in this semi-final.

"It's definitely a special feeling. It's a massive night for the club and the players. Everyone is relishing it.

"We're just focused on what we do. It doesn't matter about other results [in the Premier League]. We have our objectives."

Aina was out from the beginning of September to the end of December with a hamstring injury, only returning for the final two games of the league phase of the Europa League.

He missed 16 Premier League games but has started all 15 matches since returning to the fold.

"When I came back I found my feet game after game. I'm back now and looking forward to tomorrow," he added.

"I was buzzing that the team got through the league phase so I could be part of it and add my contribution."

Aina answered questions alongside his manager Pereira, who joked that the right-back did not need to say nice things about him and would start on Thursday regardless.

On Pereira, who took over from Sean Dyche in February, Aina added: "He's brought his ideas in and they resonated with us. He has a clear vision. Everyone has bought into that."

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa at The City Ground (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Pereira confirmed defender Murillo will not be fit to face Villa: "He's trying to come back as soon as possible but he's not ready now. I don't believe it will be long, maybe he can be back in a few days, we will see."

• He added the medical team was "working hard" on Jair Cunha but they "don't know" if he will be fit and he was also asked for a fitness update on Dan Ndoye and Ibrahima Sangare: "It's normal to have some issues at this time of the season. We'll see tomorrow, they are trying to be ready."

• On the mood within the camp: "I think being positive is the only way to live life. We are moving our legs, we are breathing, it's good weather. The family is happy. We are ready to fight until the end, which is the only mentality I want to see."

• Looking ahead to a European semi-final, Pereira said: "It will be good energy. What I ask every time in training and in games is for good energy. With good vibes we can achieve miracles, and in the end, we can be proud of ourselves."

• Pereira made a point of paying tribute to Nuno Espirito Santo, who qualified Forest for the Europa League and began their journey, and Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche who both picked up points in the competition while in charge: "First of all, I need to speak about the managers before me who played in the Europa League, who helped get to this moment. This is not about me, it's about the club."

• He was asked about taking inspiration from legendary former Forest boss Brian Clough, who won the European Cup twice with the club: "If we want to put our names in the history of this club we need to get to the final and win it. Of course he is an inspiration for us. Tomorrow is a big chance for our supporters and for us to reach a final. We will do everything we can to move forward."

• More on Clough: "He's a strong character, not just a top player and manager. This week I went into the city and saw a big statue of him. I'm not thinking about a statue, but we can imagine what he did for this city, because it stays in the city and the hearts of the people until now."

• Pereira offered perspective when looking at the task facing his team: "Almost all of us have a fantastic life. When we say it's a big challenge, of course it is, but it's a good challenge. For some people, it is a challenge to move. This is a good challenge. I work in the Premier League. I have no reason to be worried, I just want to be there, enjoy it and compete."

Listen to live commentary of Forest v Villa on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

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Players involved the last time Nottingham Forest were in a European semi-final have been reminiscing on the tie on a special episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.

It was an occasion shrouded in bitterness and controversy.

Forest were 2-0 up from the first leg of their 1984 Uefa Cup semi-final against Anderlecht, but lost the second leg 3-0 with a dubious penalty decision and disallowed goal just two of numerous decisions which aroused suspicion.

The truth behind those refereeing decisions only emerged during a 1997 criminal case when Anderlecht admitted paying the Spanish referee Emilio Guruceta Muro.

It later emerged that the former president of the Belgian club Constant Vanden Stock had paid the Spanish referee a significant amount before the game. In 1997 Anderlecht were handed a ban for a year from Uefa's competitions but a BBC investigation revealed Uefa had knowledge of the bribe years before action was taken.

The topic is still a sore one for those involved.

Looking back on the tie, former Forest defender Paul Hart said: "I had the same referee when I was playing for Leeds against Real Madrid and he sent two of our players off so Real Madrid could win. The first time we saw him was in the tunnel before the game and I said to Kenny Swain 'that's the same geezer'.

"He was totally corrupt, then you find out about it 20 years later about someone being bribed. I think the manager knew we'd been diddled. He was very quiet. It was terrible. The stadium is still named after Stock."

Goalkeeper on the day Hans van Breukelen said: "It still hurts because we couldn't play in a European final and we had a good team. Straight away I told the gaffer he was cheating. You feel that when you are on the pitch. It still hurts."

Legendary former Forest midfielder Steve Hodge added: "The thing that struck the players was we read the newspaper the day of the game and Brian Clough was spouting that he was concerned about the referee. He was always very protective of referees and tried to butter them up and get on their good side.

"But, this time he went out in public and let the referee know he was watching him carefully and had his doubts about him. As the game transpired and with what I know now, did he know something we didn't know? It was an odd thing for him to do in the papers. It was toxic from minute one. It smelt of an English team playing abroad.

"It was a period when English teams were being tarnished and sometimes provoked by European teams they visited. From minute one that night it wasn't a pleasant place to be."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

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After moving one step closer to securing Premier League safety with a 5-0 win over Sunderland, Nottingham Forest can probably afford to start putting their European ambitions first now.

When the two-time European champions come up against Aston Villa, who also have one European Cup to their name, in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday night, one thing's for sure: both teams will want to take an early advantage.

Vitor Pereira's decision to field a slightly strengthened side for the club's quarter-final second leg win over Porto paid dividends, so we can except him to follow suit in what will be an even bigger tie against Premier League opposition.

But will the Reds opt to sit in or go on the attack in their home leg at the City Ground?

Well, the statistics can probably answer that one.

Forest have accumulated the best xG (27.8) in the Europa League this season, having taken 414 touches in the opposition box across their 14 fixtures in the competition, with 23 of their 88 shots on target finding the back of the net.

Only Serie A side Bologna, who were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Villa, beat the Reds in each of those three categories.

Morgan Gibbs-White will be one to watch in attack, having scored a staggering five times since the club's last Europa League outing on 16 April.

The Reds will be missing attacking impetus from Callum Hudson-Odoi, though.

The 25-year-old winger, who is out for the season with a right quadriceps muscle injury, has created 23 chances in the Europa League this season, with only three other players carving out more opportunities for their team-mates.

In addition, only three Englishmen have created more chances in a single season since records began in 2009-10: James Milner (31) and Adam Lallana (24) for Liverpool in 2015-16 and James Ward-Prowse (25) for West Ham United in 2023-24.

Nottingham Forest have a big week in Europe in facing Aston Villa, so the team on Shut Up And Show More Football have decided to look back on the last time the club featured in a continental semi-final.

It's Anderlecht, it's history, it's Steve Hodge and it's a great listen.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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There is a huge amount to be said for how desperation can affect teams in a positive way.

Spurs, Nottingham Forest and West Ham each won in the Premier League this weekend. You will search long and hard to find a weekend when that happened this season as they have all struggled to fight clear of relegation.

It is the main reason why predictions are almost impossible at this time of the season. Teams and players cannot be at 100% for every game, but when desperation kicks in, you will get every ounce of effort, even if you can lose some calmness and composure as a result.

Forest and West Ham have been in this mindset for a while now, but it is only now that Spurs have finally woken up and smelled the very bitter coffee.

It was however one of the best 10-minute spells in the league this season when Spurs scored in the 82nd minute to grab two extra points against Wolves. Back in London, West Ham conceded a goal to Everton in the 88th minute, seemingly dropping two of the three points they were holding.

A four-point swing in six minutes was huge at the bottom of the table. But just a few minutes later, West Ham struck through Callum Wilson to grab those two points back again.

In these days of updates live on your phone and all modern technology it was radio gold on BBC 5 Live.

I have listened back to Ian Dennis as he reported on it all happening live and it reminded me why football, even without pictures, can be the best entertainment imaginable. The good news is it is all very likely to happen again and again before the season ends.

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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In Sean Dyche's last game in charge of Nottingham Forest, the Reds famously had 35 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target, and scored none. Wolves' goalkeeper Jose Sa was player of the match and deservedly so, such was the home team's profligacy.

At that point, Forest had scored just 25 goals in 26 Premier League games. But, under Vitor Pereira, we have now scored 16 goals in eight Premier League games, plus a further eight in six Europa League matches.

Just when you begin to wonder where the goals will come from, there are 24 goals in 16 outings.

Pereira has overseen his side score more goals than any other Premier League side since he joined the club on 15 February. Nine of those came in just two games - two very important games - at a stage of the season where we desperately needed to win games.

But, even so, Friday's 5-0 demolition away at Sunderland was expected by no-one - except, perhaps, Pereira.

A season-ending injury to Callum Hudson-Odoi was hardly the news Forest needed, but the tactical change to play two strikers - Chris Wood and Igor Jesus - and give Morgan Gibbs-White freedom to float and find space has unlocked something.

Obviously, Wood's return makes a huge difference. The New Zealand international's 20 league goals last season were instrumental in the Reds' success, but so too was his link-up play and understanding with the likes of Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga.

Friday's win wasn't just about scoring goals, it was about identifying weaknesses and patterns in the opposition.

Nuno Espirito Santo, and Steve Cooper before him, always had a plan for each game. It is hard to argue either Ange Postecoglou or Dyche did, with both seeming to stubbornly prefer the same set-up for each game.

As we come to the business-end of the season, there is still much work to be done. Hopefully, the results and performances we've seen in recent weeks continue.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external