Nottingham vs Aston Villa: the full picture

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa: Chris Wood’s second-half penalty after a Lucas Digne penalty made the difference in a closely fought first leg, but Forest were lucky not to have Elliot Anderson sent off. Nottingham vs Aston Villa has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in South Africa.

Key facts

• Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa: Chris Wood’s second-half penalty after a Lucas Digne penalty made the difference in a closely fought first leg, but Forest were lucky not to have Elliot Anderson sent off.
• Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League.
• Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest goalscorer Chris Wood speaking to TNT Sports after his side's 1-0 win over Aston Villa: "It's one leg of the tie.
• Nottingham Forest goalscorer Chris Wood speaking to TNT Sports after his side's 1-0 win over Aston Villa: "It's one leg of the tie.
• Chris Wood's penalty gave Forest a slender lead over Aston Villa as Emiliano Martinez was once again in the spotlight at the City Ground.

What we know

Going deeper, Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League.

On the substance, Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest goalscorer Chris Wood speaking to TNT Sports after his side's 1-0 win over Aston Villa: "It's one leg of the tie.

Beyond the headlines, Nottingham Forest goalscorer Chris Wood speaking to TNT Sports after his side's 1-0 win over Aston Villa: "It's one leg of the tie.

More precisely, Chris Wood's penalty gave Forest a slender lead over Aston Villa as Emiliano Martinez was once again in the spotlight at the City Ground.

It is worth noting that Aston Villa host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday, May 3 (7pm BST, 2pm ET).

By the numbers

At this stage, Chris Wood’s 200th career goal means Nottingham Forest hold a slender lead after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.

On a related note, it was a naive mistake from the experienced 32-year-old Digne that put Villa on the back foot and shifted the tie’s momentum.

Going deeper, Wood was one of the chief reasons why Nottingham Forest found themselves playing in the Europa League this season — his 20 goals were integral to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side claiming seventh place last term.

On the substance, Nottingham Forest travel to Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday, May 4 (3pm BST, 10am ET).

What they're saying

“The penalty I didn’t watch but everyone is telling me it’s a penalty,” the Villa head coach said in his post-match press conference, before speaking about a challenge by Elliot Anderson on Ollie Watkins in the first half, which he saw replays of after the final whistle.

“When we go to win the ball we cannot lose, because they [Villa] are very aggressive in that moment.”

“I think having the two strikers up there helps me and Omari out massively because it leaves their two centre-backs isolated and it allows us to have the space to come inside and do what we need to do.”

The wider context

On a related note, Nottm Forest beat Aston Villa in Europa League semi-final first leg.

Going deeper, Chris Wood’s second-half penalty gave Forest a narrow to lead to take into next week’s second leg at Villa Park.

On the substance, Aston Villa Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on Elliot Anderson avoiding a red card for a challenge on Ollie Watkins: "Fantastic the referee, fantastic.

Beyond the headlines, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on Elliot Anderson avoiding a red card for a challenge on Ollie Watkins: "Fantastic the referee, fantastic.

More precisely, Aston Villa Aston Villa manager Unai Emery speaking to TNT Sports: "We couldn't score, we conceded, but we controlled.

The bottom line

• It was a naive mistake from the experienced 32-year-old Digne that put Villa on the back foot and shifted the tie’s momentum.
• 1-0 deficit isn't ideal but 90 minutes is a long time to hold out at Villa Park.
• Unai Emery lost a leg of a Europa League semi-final for the first time since his Sevilla side lost 3-1 at Valencia in May 2014, having gone unbeaten in eight straight semi-final matches in the competition before today (W6 D2).