Nottingham Forest Defeats Aston Villa 1-0 in Europa League Semi-Final First Leg

Nottingham Forest defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. The winning goal came from a penalty scored by Chris Wood after a VAR review confirmed a handball by Aston Villa's Lucas Digne. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery expressed strong dissatisfaction with the VAR decision not to red-card Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson for a challenge on Ollie Watkins.

In a separate match, Rayo Vallecano won 1-0 against Strasbourg in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final. The French team kept the deficit to one goal ahead of the return leg.

During the game, Anderson's sliding tackle won the ball but then caught Watkins on the ankle with raised studs. On-field referee Joao Pinheiro did not take action, and VAR conducted a check but allowed play to continue. Emery praised Pinheiro's overall performance but criticized the VAR officials.

>"Fantastic, the referee, fantastic. But the VAR is so, so bad. " — Unai Emery, post-match interview (GB News). Emery stated that Pinheiro deserved a perfect score for controlling the match. However, he described the VAR's handling of the incident as a huge mistake, noting the potential for serious injury to Watkins.

Emery added that the tackle warranted dismissal without doubt.

The penalty was awarded after Omari Hutchinson's cross struck Digne's arm. Initial rulings suggested the ball had gone out of play, but VAR replays showed Hutchinson kept it in. Emery did not contest this decision, acknowledging it as a penalty based on reports.

Forest's victory positions them favorably for the second leg. Multiple sources reported Emery's frustration persisting into his press conference, where he reiterated the need for an explanation from VAR officials.

1-0 win over Strasbourg occurred in the away leg for the French side. Strasbourg performed below their usual level but limited the damage to a single goal. The return leg is scheduled for next Thursday at Stade de la Meinau. One source questioned which team would qualify for the Conference League final following the result. Hopes remain alive for Strasbourg to overturn the deficit at home.

Villa is set to face Tottenham on Sunday following the defeat. Nottingham Forest will play against Chelsea on Monday, aiming to build on their recent form. These domestic matches come shortly after the European semi-final legs.