Football Daily - The Debrief: Villa & Palace make it to European finals

Episode Date: May 7, 2026

Steve Crossman is joined by Dion Dublin, Ian Dennis, and Nick Mashiter at Villa Park as Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest to make it to the Europa League final and set up a shot at their first major trophy for 30 years. We’re also at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace made it to their first ever European final with a 5-2 aggregate win over Shakhtar DonetskPlus, we hear from Unai Emery who has the chance to win a fifth Europa League title as a manager. TIMECODES: 00:06 - Aston Villa into the Europa League Final 20:19 - Crystal Palace make the Conference League Final 25:17 - Unai Emery reaction

On the Football Daily podcast, The Debrief with Steve Crosman. We're inside Villa Park, where Aston Villa have just booked their place in the Europa League final. They'll be there in Istanbul. On Wednesday the 20th of May, they'll be playing Freiburg in the final. Crystal Palace will be there on Wednesday the 27th of May in Leipzig to face Rio Vallecano in the Conference League final. Arsenal will be there in Budapest on Saturday the 30th of May

for their Champions League final against Paris Saint-German. For the first time ever, there are three English clubs in the finals, in each final. Here at Villa Park, the party is well underway. Emmy Martinez has just tried to climb on the crossbar, but he's too little Diy on Dublin.

We found something the World Cup winner card team. Yes, that was awful effort to get on top of the goal there. Let me tell you from Emmy Martinez, well that's the only awful thing he's done tonight. Tup charge of his area, took charge of his back four, took charge in front of him. He knew exactly what to do. He knew exactly how to get over the line. This competition, his manager has done it again. He set a team up to get to a final and I've got to say Steve comfortably. So we've got Dianne Dublin. We've got Ian Dennis with us as well. We've got Nick Masheter as well, BBC Sport, senior football news reporter,

reacting to Aston Villa's 4-0 win on the night, 4-1 on aggregate. Mortacum on Crystal Palace 2, Shatah 1, 4-2 on aggregate as well. The Villa players are just making their way off the pitch now. Yuri Tealem is just giving a big wave. Onana's down there with Rogers as well. Ornana couldn't play because he was injured. I'm sure he'll be back for the final massive player. he is for this team.

We'll talk about some of the Villa heroes, Emmy Buendia and John McGinn as well. And Ian, why don't we start with John McGinn? Two goals for him for Mr. Aston Villa, really, John McGinn. Yeah, he's just going across to get a big hug from Alan McAnally, one of the Villa ambassadors in front of the North Stand,

away towards our left. But it was his two goals in the space of three minutes that really sealed it because up until that point, Villa leading two none on the night. Only the one goal separating the two sides on aggregate. There was always that chance of, you know, who's to say that Forrest could have had an opportunity.

But he took his two goals ever so well. Both first time finishes. The first was into the far corner, bottom left corner as he hit it. And then later on, he beat Ortega inside his near post. He's just a man for the big occasion, John McGinn. And once you knew that third goal had gone in, you knew then that there was no way back for Nottingham Forrest,

not the stuffing out of them and then that meant that they could enjoy the last 10 minutes or so soak up the celebrations and start wondering about the flight tickets to Istanbul Dion you were saying during commentary that you look behind us and you saw your former teammate Ian Taylor who was such a massive part of the Aston Villa team who won the League Cup in 96

their last major trophy and he was in tears you need these people he was Mr Villa of that team John McGinn just shows you can be an adopted Mr Villa doesn't matter you don't have to come from Birmingham he's come from Scotland and made this club his own no he has he has and these fans know that as well he wears the on band with pride he leads this team with pride this is a massive football club Steve it really is and these are the competitions and these are the

finals they need to be in in order to back that up oh here it comes again Steve can you hear it it's on its way listen to this noise this is going to be special do you want to do the business where you wait when they do the high-ho, Aston Villa, Dio? Yeah, I'd love to, Steve. I don't mind at all, but they're not going anywhere, Steve. They are staying in their seats, they're waving their flags, some have got their scarves above their heads. They're just trying to enjoy the moment,

because this doesn't come around very often, Steve. And you know, when it does, you have to enjoy it. You really, really do. That's my job. Nick, this has been quite some night for Aston Villa. Absolutely. Was it ever in doubt, really, for... minute one. I mean, we spoke about the changes that

Uni Emory made on Sunday against Tottenham Hotsboro and the criticism that the performance got. But now, as you said, who cares? None of these of the fans are worried about what happened on Sunday now. And it's it's an intriguing. I'm looking at the North Stand at the minute, the redevelopment has started, the corner's been knocked down where the hospitality was. That's going to send the capacity to around 50,000 when it's finished towards the end of next year. And it just feels like everything starts to fall into place for Astrid Villa on and off the pitch.

They need to get back into the Champions League and extending expanding, expanding the part that helps them be able to start reducing that gap to the top tier sides. Financially, that's a massive thing for them. But they have to be doing this though this football club, don't they? They have to be challenging in competitions like this. They have to be looking for Champions League football all the time. This is what the fans demand. This is what the size of the club demands.

But it's not a given. I mean, look at what Unai Emory has done to create this. He took over from Stephen Gerald. I think there were 14th, just a few points off the relegation zone, having been a big defeat at Fulham, was Gerard's last game in October, November 22. And nobody would have said at that point now, this is where Asson would be.

But you have to look at the magic that Unaemri has weaved, essentially, to get these players to take them to the next level. But the thing is, the big thing is now, he wants players now to be able to improve. And they need to be able to do that financially to back him. So he's got a massively strong hand now in that conversation. Dion, from a forest perspective, it was always going to be difficult without Morgan Gibbs White

and he had to be on the bench because of that horrible facial injury that he got. That will have made a big difference. That said, it just didn't feel, for a minute one really that they were able to cope with all of this. No, I don't think many would tonight, Steve. I don't care who it was who had that one goal lead. Okay, so I've got some fans behind me, Steve, enjoying the night.

Well done, you lot. I just feel that anybody coming into this stadium tonight with this noise, with this atmosphere, would have been hard to handle, and it wasn't just that, it was the players in Carrot and blue shirts tonight. Like they put a proper shift in tonight's team. They did everything correct to a man.

I said to you before the game, when you're in a position like this, you look at yourself and you go, I need to do my job. And those villa players did their job tonight to a man. I think it was within five minutes of getting here, Nick, that you really kind of got the feeling that Aston Villa fans are going to give absolutely everything. And obviously, Forrest fans did as well. and the atmosphere at the city ground for the first leg was extraordinary mull of kintyre it sounded absolutely glorious but just here tonight i think the villa fans have to take a huge amount of credit for creating this almost storm that the forest players had to walk into it was an absolute cauldron wasn't it and it i thought it was really interesting the start before before everything really kicked off before the fans really got into the stadium there were a few but it was very relaxed it might have been quite But there was just this sort of calmness over it.

We saw the owners. They were down pitch side. They were talking to Damien Vidigani, the head of football here. And once it clicked, once it clicked for Villa on the pitch, it goes into the stands and vice versa. They drove them on tonight. And there was nothing, nothing from the fans to suggest that there was any going to be any anxiety. It might have taken a little while to get that goal, but it was coming. And realistically, there was nothing Forrest could do about it tonight.

Ian Dennis, I've waited to bring you back into the conversation because you were scribbling away. And it just made me think, what on earth do you write to try and sum up a night like this in like 20 to 30 seconds, which you'll have to do for the news bulletins? Well, I don't know. It's very hard. I mean, if you've got somebody like Ian Taylor, who's in tears behind us, you know, this is said at the final whistle, the long wait is over. You know, generations of villa supporters have been dreaming of this. You know, I'm not going to diss the Conference League,

but they were so close two years ago against Olympiacos, but they were never really in it after losing the first leg. The Champions League is everything for Aston Villa, if they are to challenge, you know, the other top clubs in the Premier League. And they've buried, they've put aside their Premier League form. They've brought their European game here. They were never in any danger, never in any danger. Forrest, I think once I realized that Gibbs White wasn't playing,

I thought that Forrest are going to miss him because he's such a talisman for them he's in outstanding form and I felt for Forrest in that respect because you know injuries haven't been kind to them of late but this was no contest in that respect Villa thoroughly deserved the win a great night for two different types of royalty Dion

actual royalty because Prince William was here and Villa royalty likes of Ian Taylor and Andy Townsend and you trying your hardest to focus on the radio as people all over the place shout your name and give you a thumbs on. Yeah, it's a night that I don't think any of us will forget. Steve, it's not happened in a while. Let's say that, to be honest with him.

These fans here are hanging about just to take him the last little bit of atmosphere in this stadium. See Andy Townsend over there, just doing his bits and bobs for the media. Ian Taylor's done his bit as well. I can see Lee Hendry down there doing the TV for Aston Villa as well. So we're all here. We all wanted to experience this. But it wasn't, as Nick said, and Nick rightly said it wasn't a given that it was going to happen.

It's not a given that this football club are going to be there just because they're a big football club. Tonight, Villa have worked incredibly hard and they've shown what they can do. They've reared their head again as a very, very good football team. They've blown forest apart tonight, push them aside and said, right, no, we want to get in the final. We deserve to be in the final. This is our house. You're getting nothing tonight. Nick, can I just check how you are for time?

Do you need to go down to Eumery's press conference at some time? Yeah, I'm going to have going to disappear to speak to one happy manager and one son. Go for it. Thank you. Nick, great. Thanks, Nick. All the last half you. Nick Mashitur, BBC Sports, senior football news reporter who's been with us.

He's about to go and speak to Unai Emery. Let's talk a bit about Unai Emery. And Ian, the thing that struck me actually at full time was with everyone else going absolutely crazy, Emery just sort of wandered down the touchline. And I was thinking, God, he looks like this is business as usual. And then you remember that for Udi Emory, this is business as usual. usual he's going to have a fifth opportunity to win it I know it's his seventh Europa League semi-final and he's he's progressed now on five occasions he did

look relaxed as you say on the final whistle but did you see his celebration after the Buendia penalty the second goal he went down on one knee and I thought he was actually punching the ground he was he was that if you pardon the pun pumped up and I think that was probably a release because he knew that was the decisive goal once Villa then had got a strangle hold on the tie which taking the lead for the first time. I thought his tactics were spot on that change of system in the first leg. They'd gone with the back fall last week.

He went to a three today. Lindelof was superb, not just marshalling that back three, but stepping into midfield. That was something that you picked up in the first half team on. Yeah, and I think it's okay. The Gaffa having all the tactics and setting up his team, right? He has to do that. That's his job. But you've got to do it to the letter.

You've got to trust them. manager and the way that he thinks that it's best for you to play. Even though you have individual bits of skill you've got to take into consideration, it's a team game. If we do it together as a team, we'll be a juggernaut tonight. And honestly, I've not seen Villa play like that for a long time, not as convincing as that anyway. And speaking of the team, let's spend a bit of time talking about Emmy Buendia. Because the number of conversations we have about Ashton Villa, I mean,

especially because they play. in Europe, you're on our Premier League Sunday show. We talk about all the time because we have loads and loads of Ashton Villa commentaries and the number of conversations we have about players like Martinez and about Watkins and about McGinn and about Rogers. And there's probably two or three other. Emmy Buendia is not a villa player that you talk about every single week because the competition is so big.

But he is some player and tonight he was brilliant. No, he was. He was. I mean, you could, you could have, you could have give that build up to any of the players tonight. They were all outstanding. Emmy Rendia just goes below the radar. He plays good passes. He's nasty as well, Steve. He doesn't mind putting his footing with a challenge at all.

He doesn't mind challenging in the air. I don't know. His way to pass is good. He's finishing's good. He's just one of those players that villain need in their side in order to achieve. And yes, he doesn't want the plaudits. He just wants to get to finals. And that's the way he played tonight.

The other thing I'd say, Steve, as well, and I said this at the start. I expected a reaction, and he got it. I know he made the seven changes. but the thing that angered the Villa supporters was the fact that there was no fight or desire against Tottenham. And even the work off the ball from Morgan Rogers and Watkins, a couple of occasions where, yeah, they're leading the line,

but then they dropped back to win it back for Aston Villa and then give it to a Telemans or a Buendier in the midfield. There was a lot of stuff off the ball that I think would have pleased Una Emery tonight in terms of a work ethic from Villa. Let's go to Villa fan on with us, Shalers. Marnie has joined us evening. Marnie, congratulations you're in a European final.

Thank you very much. Were you at the game, Marnie? Yeah, all that performance from Istanbul. I'm winning the European Cup, like we did in 82, bring your silverware back to Ashton, Vila where it belongs. Come on your Vila, boys. Marnie, chat to D on Dublin.

Marnie, I've got to say, pal, I'm with you, and with your enthusiasm is incredible. It's so nice to see Villa play like we know they can play. Was that what sort of excited you, tonight. Absolutely, Dion, what a performance that was. Absolutely brilliant from start to finish. And I had belief in my team as well.

I had belief in the Uni Emory. I had belief in the villa. I knew we could do this at the Villa Park, under the lives. European nights are always special. What a performance it was from the lag. I mean, my voice has already gone. The shouting and screaming from that game. Absolutely brilliant to see it.

And like I said, Dion, we're going all the way. We're winning the European Cup. We're going to cement history and bring Silverware back to this beautiful where it belongs. Marnie, can I ask how old are you? I'm 23. So this is as good as it's ever got for you as a villa fan then, isn't it? Oh, mate, I've seen, we've been in the trenches.

We have been in the trenches. I've been seeing relegation fights. I've seen it being a championship to now. Seeing glory. Absolutely glory, man. Oh, no. Absolutely glory. What time is to be a villa fan?

Absolutely unreal. I can't believe it. Marty, talk to me tell me a bit about your captain he's not bad, is he? John McGin, Esther, that's what I like to call him. It's not John McGinn, it's John McGinn, Esther. That's my captain.

Yeah, my number seven, more respect at him the most underrated playing in the Premier League. People, when you say John McGinn, say John McGin yesterday, absolutely unreal. He would run through brick walls. Yeah, that's what we call him meatball.

Speak up to John McGinn. My captain, speak up to him. I imagine as well, Marnie, one of the other things about this is that, you know, you will have relatives who will have told you all, Aston Villa in my day, we were in European finals and we done it. You will have heard all that, but never been able to see it, and now you can see it.

I can see it live in the flesh. Welcome to Istanbul. I'm going to see him with my two eyes. Ashton Villa lifting a European Cup. I can't wait. What time it used to be a Ville fan right now? In the United States, we have changed the Villefans. He has changed it.

What a time is to be a villa fan. The last chick's all left, the last piece in the puzzle left, is lifting that European Cup. And come in Istanbul, we're going to be doing that. Marnie, it's been lovely to have you on. Thanks very much for talking to us,

and congratulations. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Well, that's it, Dion, isn't it? Does anything paint the picture better than that? I think Marnie's summed it up, hasn't you, really? With losing his voice and his enthusiasm, And you're right about what you said as well, Steve.

This is his first bit of joy, I think, as a villa fan getting to a final. Gosh, can you imagine how many Villa fans are going to be traveling to that final? It's going to be special. They won't forget it in a hurry. But this is the point they wanted to be at. They wanted to be in the final. Then they can calm down again and then they can regroup and then they can start to dream. And I'm just again drawn to that quote above us from the great Brian Moore.

commenting on Aston Villa winning the European Cup in Rotterdam, beating Bayern Munich. That line, good ball played in for Tony Moley. It must be, and it is, Peter With. Maybe for Moley, Reid Morgan, for With Watkins. I know it is not the European Cup, Ian, but it is a European Cup and a big one. Absolutely it is, yeah.

I mean, you know, back in the day when it was the away, We used to have an argument that that was actually harder to win the UEFA Cup than it was the European Cup because you always had, I think, a better quality of side. That was in the days when you just had the European champions, but you didn't have teams from two, three, four and five competing in the UEFA Cup. That was an argument maybe for yesterday year. But no, this is still a major trophy. It's absolutely huge for Aston Villa. And if they were to win the Europa League and get their hands on silverware, brilliant, superb. but also, let's not forget,

it gives you direct entry into the Champions League. I know they're probably going to do that, one of these six points clear of Bournemouth through the league anyway, but it's another indication of where Villa want to be. Ashton Villa want to be challenging for major honours. They want to be competing in Europe's elite competition, season in, season out,

and that is exactly what they're doing under Una Emery. Final thoughts, Dion. I'm just delighted with the attitude of the players. I'm delighted with the way that they've come out tonight. The fans played their part, as I've said many, many times. Everybody's sung. Everybody's waving their flags above their head and their scarves. They created the atmosphere for the players to really flourish tonight.

And the players in every aspect, everybody that went over that white line in the Claren't Blue shirt tonight, they were blood, sweat and tears. They did everything they needed to do. They listened to their manager, who's the past master of this competition, and they got it over the line. They deserved it. Unlucky to Fires.

They didn't really turn up tonight. They got blown away. And I believe that Villa will go on to win this trophy. Congratulations, Aston Villa. Commiserations to Nottingham Forest. So Villa against Freiberg, who was seventh in the Bundesliga, Istanbul, Europa League final, Wednesday the 20th of May. We will be there.

Full commentary, of course. Ian Dion, thank you very much indeed. Extraordinary night. Great stuff. Thank you. and Ian Dennis, who've been with us here at Villa Park. Five Live Sports. So here's the first ball of this series.

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Cheese, horse. Settle down. It's sorry, me. Cricket on Five Live Sport. every ball of this. Listen on BBC sounds. On the Football Daily podcast, The Debrief with Steve Crossman.

So Aston Villa are in a European final. We know Arsenal are in a European final. Crystal Palace are in a European final. They will be there to face Rio Vallecano on Wednesday, the 27th of May in Leipzig. And again, we will be there in the Conference League. As the party finished yet, Mark Scott? Just about here, Steve.

Yes, it went on for quite a while. The Palace fans were singing, we're on our way to Leipzig from well before kickoff and they were belting it out at full time along with all the other usual anthems. Glad all over was ringing out as well. And Palace really powered their way into a first ever European final.

Remember for them, two-one win on the night over Shaktar, which gives them a 5-2 aggregate success overall. It was a bit nervy early on because Shaktar made a strong start. Palace then thought they'd gone in front. Pino marginally offside. Henrik Ongold did put

Palace in front. Eganaldo equalized with a lovely hit and it still felt it was a bit in the balance but is Myla Sard's second half goal when he touched in from Mitchell's cross just calm the nerves and from there on in the palace fans really reveled in the moment and what a turn around it is when you think about Oliver Glasner's relationship with the palace fans looking like it was on the rocks after some of his outspoken comments earlier this season now all the chance of super Super Oli Glastner once again. The same for Jean-Philippe Matetta when he was trying to force through

that move to Milan during the January transfer window. He was heralded as he went down the tunnel as well. And now Palace's final game of the season and of course Oliver Glasner's final game as Crystal Palace boss will be their first ever European final. Can he finish with an unbelievable flourish? Chris Waters, Palace Funn is with us. Chris, I will say the same to you as I did to Marni,

the Villa fan. Congratulations. You're in a European final. Thank you very much. Yep. Great night and well, a great journey to get there. Tell us about the experience of getting to this final. Were you there at the game tonight? Yeah, yeah. And I've been to every single game, home and away. Nine countries, not nine countries, but you know, nine away games from the qualifier, really nervy in Frederick Statt, back all the way in September when it was a nervy, nil-0 and we scrape through, you know, in out to eastern Poland,

Strasbourg, Dublin, Mostar in Bosnia, which is an epic journey, Narnika, Cyprus, Florence, obviously, and then crack off last week. So to make it all the way, it's, you know, really, it's a dream come too. And does it repair some of the sort of bridges that felt a little bit burned with Oliver Glasner

with the way his departure has come around? who's taken you to an FAA cup and may now finish with a European trophy? Yeah, I think that's their comment. I mean, as your commentator said tonight, it was really telling later in the second half that the songs were now including Olly Glaston's name again.

You know, that privilege or whatever you want to call it was withdrawn during his January outbursts and didn't really come back until, you know, the past couple of weeks. So I think he himself and Metetta, who's come back into some decent form, of course, all will be forgiven. And, you know, what a way to bow out to win three trophies, I guess, in your final year of your tenure at the Palace before you go on to something else.

Great stuff, Chris. Thank you very much for joining us. Congratulations to Crystal Palace. They go through to the final of the Conference League. And we'll be with you for all of them. Leipzig, Wednesday the 27th in the Conference League. Istanbul, Wednesday the 20th in the Eurozone. Europa League and of course Saturday the 30th in Budapest will be there for the Champions League final Arsenal versus Paris Saint-German.

Right then, before we go, opportunity to hear from the Aston Villa manager. Here is Unai Emery. We planned emotionally and the momentum how we were playing the match. It was the only match we played with these circumstances. playing semi-final. We did two years ago in conference against Olympiacos, but we played the second leg away.

Last year, quarter to the final, but we played a second leg at home, but was a quarter of the final. And we played the semifinal in London, in the FA Cup. But to play one mile like that, playing the second leg after the first leg in Nottingham, the second leg here,

with the possibility to get a fight. final was the only moment we have had here. And of course, we were so motivated, we were excited, we were confidence about how the supporters were here creating this atmosphere. And then was focus and play and play and play like they are. All right then, that's it.

The light are about to go out here at Villa, so we better go. It's been a heck of a night for Aston Villa. Absolutely devastating, you have to say, for Nottingham Forest. You gave it absolutely everything they had, but it just felt like this place on this night against this team was a bit too much for them.

Ali Bruce Ball, John Murray, Ian Dennis will be with you for the commentator's view on the next episode of the Football Daily. As always, thank you so much for listening. Women's Football Weekly. The latest news, insights and analysis from across the women's game. Dame Serena Vigman, welcome to the... Are we including Dame in your title now?

You know how much an honour that is? You want to play in a way that they can show their skills, so that's what we're trying to do. Win the World Cup. It's a dream. Listen. With the BBC Sounds app.