Nottingham Forest surrendered a 1-0 lead to exit the Europa League and miss out on the final after a 4-0 thrashing at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins scored to level the tie in the first half, with Emi Buendia putting Villa in the box seat shortly after half-time from the penalty spot.
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As Forest toiled with a lack of options, John McGinn struck twice in three minutes to ensure a safe passage to Istanbul for the home side.
Although it proved a drab night for Forest in the West Midlands, Joe Cole did have praise for one of the players in the starting eleven for the Reds.
Joe Cole raves about James McAtee
McAtee was handed another start in the absence of Morgan Gibbs-White, and although he went off at half-time, that was more down to a tactical tweak than anything else.
The former Manchester City player looked in fine fettle in the opening exchanges and Cole was very impressed with his display.
He said on TNT Sports: “I saw him in the 21s, and technically, he’s outstanding. He’s come to Forest for games, and it’s not quite worked yet, but he’s a really good player with a lot of quality.”
McAtee has endured a pretty frustrating campaign at the City Ground, but there is optimism that he can still come good.
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The home side ran riot in the second half.
The tricky performer has showcased in the last week that he’s got what it takes to be a decent performer at this level, and there is definitely more to come.
McAtee cost around £30 million when he swapped City for Forest, and he will have definitely expected to be starting more games.
The majority of McAtee’s games have come in the Europa League this season, and now he will hope to be more than just a cup replacement during the 2026/27 campaign.
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