English clubs stamped their authority on European competition as Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace all secured places in the semifinals of their respective tournaments, capping a dramatic night across the continent.

Aston Villa delivered the most emphatic statement, dismantling Bologna 4-0 to cruise into the Europa League’s final four. Carrying a 3-1 lead from the first leg, Unai Emery’s side showed no inclination to sit back. Ollie Watkins struck the opener to reach a landmark 100 goals for the club, underlining his status as Villa’s talisman in a season of resurgence.

With Bologna chasing the tie, Villa exploited the spaces with ruthless efficiency. Emiliano Buendía added a composed finish, Morgan Rogers continued his impressive rise with a well-taken goal, and defender Ezri Konsa capped the rout, turning a commanding aggregate advantage into an outright demolition. The performance reinforced Emery’s reputation as a European specialist and positioned Villa as genuine contenders for the trophy.

Nottingham Forest’s path was far more fraught, but no less historic. Facing Porto, Forest were made to work by a side reduced to ten men yet still dangerous on the break. The decisive moment came when Morgan Gibbs-White’s effort took a deflection and wrong-footed the goalkeeper, securing a 2-1 victory on the night and passage to their first European semifinal in 42 years.

The result marks a significant milestone for a club whose identity is steeped in continental success but has spent decades in the wilderness. Forest’s return to the sharp end of European competition now sets up an all-English Europa League semifinal against Villa, a tie that promises intensity, narrative and a coveted place in the final in Istanbul.

In the Conference League, Crystal Palace completed a landmark achievement of their own. Despite a 2-1 defeat away to Fiorentina, Palace’s commanding 3-0 win in the first leg proved decisive. The London side absorbed pressure in Florence, did enough to protect their aggregate lead and booked a first-ever European semifinal appearance.

Across both competitions, the night’s results underscored the growing depth of English clubs in Europe, with Villa, Forest and Palace each writing a new chapter in their modern histories and setting up a compelling run-in to the season’s showpiece finals.