- Aston Villa have qualified for the Europa League semi-finals after beating Bologna 4-0 on Thursday night and 7-1 on aggregate
- The match caused a number of records to be broken by Villa, as well as some landmark achievements
On Thursday night, Aston Villa brushed aside Bologna comfortably, winning 4-0 and taking them to the semi-finals of the Europa League. Records were broken, and landmarks were achieved as it was another historic night at Villa Park.
The Villans hardly had to get out of first gear, as goals by Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers all scored in the first half, wrapping up the tie pretty quickly. Ezri Konsa capped off a perfect night with a sweetly timed volley on the swivel to make it four in the last seconds of the match.
Unai Emery continues his fantastic record in the competition, and the dream of lifting the trophy in Istanbul by Villa supporters is well and truly on.
Our Read Aston Villa correspondent takes a look at the records they broke and the milestone achieved by one of the players, after Thursday’s result.
Ollie Watkins is a centurion
Three goals in his last two games before the match on Thursday, meant Ollie Watkins was just one goal away from reaching a century at the club.
In the 16th minute, some beautiful linkup play between Rogers and Buendia saw the former square the ball for Watkins to tap it home for his 100th goal in claret and blue. He couldn’t have asked for an easier finish, as he now becomes only the 12th Villa player ever to reach three figures and enters joint 10th of their all-time leading scorers.
It’s an incredible achievement for someone who gives absolutely everything to the team. To be able to reach the milestone in just under six years shows how amazing his longevity has been.
The goal also earned him another significant achievement. Not only was it his fourth in the Europa League campaign, but it moved him one clear of John McGinn and Peter Withe as the club’s all-time leading scorer in European competitions, with 10.
Unai Emery names an unchanged lineup
When the starting lineup was announced an hour and fifteen minutes before the kick off, another milestone was reached.
For the first time since the 2021/22 Champions League quarter-final between Villarreal and Bayern Munich, Unai Emery named an unchanged lineup between European games.
With fixture schedules always seeming to increase, the quick turnarounds between games have meant Emery has rotated his sides.
Since his arrival in November 2022, the Spaniard has increased the quality in depth of the squad, so they can compete strongly in all competitions.
When they played in the Europa Conference League for the first time, their lack of depth showcased how difficult it was to maintain intensity throughout the entire season.
Record broken in the Europa League
Last season, the group phase of all the European competitions was expanded to a league phase of 36 teams, causing clubs to play two more games than they would usually.
Although this has helped Villa break a record, their fantastic performances have enabled them to reach the semi-finals.
Thursday’s win makes them the first English side ever to win nine consecutive games in the Europa League, beating Chelsea’s record of eight.
They have also only lost one game in the competition this season, winning the other ten.
This demonstrates how well Villa have done in the 2025/26 campaign, considering they are still inside the top four in the Premier League, and despite the dips in form they’ve had recently, and in the opening five games.
Furthermore, their qualification for the semi-finals, means they have now reached the latter stages of a European competition for three consecutive seasons.
Overall, Emery has exploited every ounce of talent he possibly can out of the players and has made the club become a force to be reckoned with at the peak of the league and in Europe.
Lifelong memories have already been made during his tenure, but there is just one more box to be ticked to cement his legacy as the greatest Villa manager of all-time. A trophy in Istanbul in May would make every decision, result, and performance, all worth it for that one moment of jubilation.
