Key events<\/p>\n
Show key events only<\/p>\n
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n
Righto, Ben Fisher\u2019s report is with us.<\/p>\n
That means we\u2019re done here, but of course we\u2019ve got an indecent quantity of glorious sport coming for you this weekend. Until then, though, peace out.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBogarde is the definition of \u2018solidly uninspiring\u2019 which is at least an improvement on his uncle\u2019s \u2019solidly refusing to do anything\u2019,\u201d bitterly chortles Benjamin Gravestock. \u201cSancho just never quite looks like sparking. Luiz is maybe two-thirds the player we sold, and Maatsen isn\u2019t an upgrade on Digne.<\/p>\n Like a finely-wrought clock, there is something not clicking about Villa at the moment and the return of Tielemans and McGinn is two of the jewels but we\u2019re so reliant on having Onana or Kamara there to keep things ticking.<\/p>\n Having said all that, the penalty is a ridiculous one to concede, whether you believe in the handball law or not. I think Villa get to play 30-40 yards further up the pitch at VP and I think we\u2019ll be more comfortable there. Here\u2019s hoping, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t believe a club doing as well as Villa punted on Sancho and agree, there\u2019s no one setting tempo with passes in midfield. I wanted more from Tielemans in that regard \u2013 the way Forest defend, I\u2019d want him making the play with McGinn looking to take shots and send in crosses.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n This is very interestingly put:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe kids don\u2019t develop until they are 11, 12, or 13. The difference within other countries \u2013 for me, I know Argentina \u2013 the way that I developed my emotional relationship with football is before I started to walk because I started to kick the ball. That is the problem. The relationship is with basketball or American football. They take the ball with their hands, first thing. [Elsewhere] you kick the ball with your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n Pochettino went on to state that there should be greater emphasis on creating publicly accessible places for kids to play rather than funneling all development through clubs and organized teams. He cited playing with his friends as more foundational to his love of the game than what he learned in organized play. He brought this point up in response to a recent dinner he attended where apparently wealthy guests asked why a nation with so many people \u201cdoesn\u2019t have our own Messi\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.02 EDT<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Chris Wood says it\u2019s good to have the advantage, but it\u2019s only the first leg. Cup competitions come down to small margins, such as the penalty, and both teams played well.<\/p>\n As for the penalty, he says he tries to be calm and that\u2019s the responsibility his teammates have given him \u2013 sportsfolk really aren\u2019t made like the rest of us.<\/p>\n Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood applauds the fans. Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.03 EDT<\/p>\n It\u2019s been an(other) amazing night for Oliver Glasner\u2019s Crystal Palace. Check it out with Taha Hashim:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Goodness, there are Forest fans waving a Marinakis banner. I can\u2019t say I get regular folk lionising oligarchs, but I guess this is a particularly charming one.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lucas Digne will be asking himself what he was doing, or reasoning with himself that he was doing the right thing; I\u2019m still not sure if he was appealing or balancing. Either way, though, the goal was a reward for Omari Hutchinson, who might easily have given the ball up, but inconvenienced himself and ended up earning the winning goal.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>FULL TIME: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa<\/p>\n There\u2019s not much between these two at this point \u2013 Forest are confident, villa lack flow, and the second leg will be a jazzer.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+5 min Back come Villa, Sancho picking up possession outside the box, dipping inside to open up a shooting lane, and lacing one into Orterga\u2019s midriff.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+4 min Dominguez intercepts a loose pass and sets Williams away, but Konsa and Luiz gets around him, none of his mates do likewise, and the attack peters out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+3 min The ball swing out deeper this time, to that same spot Wood\u2019s defending, and he thunks clear. Then, when the ball comes back, Ortega \u2013 who\u2019s been really solid tonight \u2013 collects, rolling out quickly to set his team on the attack, rather than hanging on for as long as possible before booting a 50\/50 into the air.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90+2 min Villa win a corner, Tielemans with it, and Abbott heads behind at the near post; here comes another\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 90 min We\u2019ll have five additional minutes; Forest send on Yates for Jesus, which sounds like a wine lodge has found God.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 89 min Villa counter, Rogers pulling right and snapping infield to meet Tielemams\u2019 run. He does well to put his body across Morato as he collects the ball, but the move takes him wide and, moving away from goal, he can only slice his shot wide of the near post.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 89 min I really like how Forest are seeing this out: they\u2019re trusting themselves to play as they always do, defending the box and going forward when they can, a sustained attack ending when Williams head poorly after Anderson crosses.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 88 min Strand Larsen has out Palace 3-1 up against Shakhtar; they\u2019ve got a great chance of going to Leipzig.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 87 min Sancho into Bogarde who collects \u2026 only to be robbed by Anderson extending a go-go Gadget leg.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 86 min Villa have huffed and puffed, but they\u2019ve struggled for ideas all night. I wonder if they might try Tielemans further forward, where he can shoot or poke passes, because so far, the three behind Watkins haven\u2019t created anything.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 85 min The final of this competition, by the way is at Besiktas\u2019 new ground. I\u2019ve only been to the old one, but it\u2019s built on the same spot and what\u2019s cool about it is that it\u2019s properly in town, St James\u2019 Park style. Whichever of these two go, their fans will have an absolute time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 83 min Gibbs-White backheels to Anderson, collects the return and they play two more passes to each other, the second of them, slid into the channel, sending the former to the line; lovely soccer. His cross is blocked and collected by Martinez, but that was composed and almost taunting excellence.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 83 min Forest fans are now cheering every tackle; we\u2019re at that point.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 81 min Villa win a free-kick out on the right and Luiz sends over an outswinger, picking out wood, on his own, who leaps mightily to head clear. So Sancho retrieves the balls, shuffling towards the box and playing a one-two off Rogers \u2026 but he can\u2019t collect the return.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 79 min Ch ch ch changes for Villa: off go Digne, McGinn and Buendia; on come Douglas Luiz, Sancho and Maatsen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 78 min Tielemans is late on Anderson; he\u2019s booked, the first so to be this evening.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 78 min That\u2019s what Stephen Hawking said,\u201d advises Nigel. \u201cSomeone commissioned him to analyse a zillion penalty kicks and he said the upper corner was statistically the most likely to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n Yeah, it\u2019s unsaveable if done right, but has greater margin for error than going low.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 77 min Rogers veers around a challenge and away from Williams, moving inside Milenkovic, before Williams gets back in to make the challenge.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 75 min Abbott, by the way, is only 19. If Aina\u2019s properly hurt, he\u2019ll have some serious work to do over the next week or so.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 74 min Aina is down in his own box, limping a bit, and he\u2019s replaced by Zach Abbott.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 73 min It\u2019s a massive goal, that \u2013 if Forest take a lead into the second leg, they\u2019ll be primed to defend the box and strike on the break, while Villa lack a bit of guile.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa (Wood pen 71)<\/p>\n A perfect penalty, rammed high into the top left. If you can do that, I don\u2019t get why you do\u2019t do it every time \u2013 that\u2019s how good it was. Martinez goes the right way and gets close, but ye cannae save those, Darren.<\/p>\n Pick that one out the ol\u2019 onion bag. Photograph: Andrew Boyers\/Action Images\/ReutersHere\u2019s a view from behind the goal. Photograph: Dylan Martinez\/ReutersThe Forest fans are happy. Photograph: Andrew Boyers\/Action Images\/ReutersAs is Chris Wood (left) as he celebrates with Neco Williams and Nicolas Dominguez. Photograph: Naomi Baker\/Uefa\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.06 EDT<\/p>\n PENALTY TO FOREST!<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if Digne was appealing for a goalkick or using a raised arm to steady himself, but once they established the ball was still in, it was open and shut. Chris Wood will take the responsibility; goodness me the pressure\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.32 EDT<\/p>\n 68 min But was it out? We see a replay that suggests not, and I think this is going to be a penalty!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 67 min Gibbs-White crosses to the back post and Hutchinson does well to pursue, lunging after a lost cause and diverting the ball from the by-line \u2026 into Digne\u2019s raised arm! PENA\u2026 no, it was already out for a goalkick, says the ref.<\/p>\n Omari Hutchinson\u2019s cross clatters into the arms of Aston Villa\u2019s Lucas Digne. Photograph: Michael Regan\/Getty ImagesHere\u2019s a view of the incident from the other end of the pitch. Photograph: Andrew Boyers\/Action Images\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.34 EDT<\/p>\n 67 min Tielemans punches a pass through the lines that Buendia doesn\u2019t quite read. Had he been on his toes, he might\u2019ve collected, delivering it into stride at the same time and, on the touchline, Emery is less than gruntled.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 66 min Konsa feeds a decent pass between centre-back and full-back for Cash, who nashes on to it and crosses low, but Milenkovic reaches the ball before Watkins to hump clear.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 65 min Williams goes short to Anderson, improving the angle for him, but the ensuing cross is too close to Martinez, who claims confidently, ahead of Wood.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 64 min But, as I type, Forest win a corner down the left\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 63 min Forest are struggling to get their attacking play going this half, and I wonder how much of that is due to the absence of Sangare and its knock-on effect on Anderson, who\u2019s getting less quality ball and more defensive responsibility.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 61 min Shakhtar had equalised against Palace, but Daichi Kamada has just put the visitors back in front. Taha Hashim has the latest:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 59 min Suddenly the force is with Villa, Digne sliding in to win the ball off Aina, fairly but with studs up. The ref plays one, Digne is swiftly back involved to cross, and when his effort is kicked away, his team win a free-kick out wide, 25 yards from goal \u2026 which Forest get rid of easily enough.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 57 min McGinn clips a pass into the box for Rogers, who looks to curl low towards the far corner but, in the middle, Watkins realises it\u2019s not going in so chucks a leg at it, diverting the ball goalwards with his laces, when he might\u2019ve swept with the direction; that allows Ortega to make an excellent reaction save from close range, foiling Vill\u2019a best opportunity of the evening.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 57 min It actually looks like Onana\u2019s issue is with his calf, which is probably a good thing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 56 min \u201cI\u2019d like to echo Rebekah Voss\u2019s sentiment and heap my praise on Johan Manzambi,\u201d begins Daniel Halladay. \u201cHe\u2019s an excellent young player with a maturity that belies his youth, and he has become a guaranteed starter for Freiburg this season. A fantastic all-around midfielder and I\u2019ve resigned myself to the fact that his time in the south-west of Germany will soon be coming to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 55 min Bogarde comes on for Onana, who diddled himself heading that cross out. His team needed it, but it seems unlikely he\u2019ll be back in a week or so, unless it\u2019s precautionary.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 54 min Now that you ask dept: I enjoy Villa\u2019s shorts. The trefoil, number and stripes combine nicely.<\/p>\n Photograph: Ben Roberts\/Danehouse\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n 53 min Rogers heads the corner behind, and Onana seems to have twanged a hammy; he\u2019ll shortly be replaced. Meantime, Hutchinson\u2019s corner is headed clear by Digne, and Forest are in the ascendancy.<\/p>\n