Chris Wood gives Nottingham Forest narrow semi-final edge over Aston Villa

There was a sheepish look on Lucas Digne’s face and for the Portuguese referee, João Pinheiro, it was a case of reviewing whether the ball was out of play and not if the Aston Villa defender had handled inside the box. Even Digne wouldn’t dispute that bit. Digne naively raised both hands, presuming the ball would bounce out of play, but Omari Hutchinson kept the phase alive and Nottingham Forest were presented with a chance to strike the first blow in this Europa League semi-final.

Chris Wood made no mistake from 12 yards, his penalty flawless. Unai Emery tried to gesture for calm as Forest’s supporters went berserk and their players slowly moseyed back towards their half. For so long, it seemed Emiliano Martínez would be Villa’s hero, his improbable save to prevent Igor Jesus from scoring a first-half opener rivalling his stop to deny Nicolás Domínguez here last season, which earned him the Premier League’s save of the season accolade.