Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Thu 16 April 2026 22:30, UK

Aston Villa fans were not best pleased with referee Jose Maria Sanchez despite easing into the Europa League semi-finals at Bologna’s expense on Thursday.

After taking a 3-1 first-leg lead to Villa Park, Ollie Watkins gave Villa a 16th-minute opener following a flowing team move.

Morgan Rogers saw his penalty saved by Federico Ravaglia before Emi Buendia fired in a fine second before the half-hour mark.

Rogers ended an 11-game goal drought with an arrowed finish into the corner six minutes before half-time, and then Ezri Konsa rounded off the scoring with a fourth in the 89th minute.

In the wake of Villa’s 4-0 win over Bologna, which sets up a semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa News has highlighted a few moments from the contest you may have missed.

Aston Villa fans berate referee

In the game’s opening salvos, the most unpopular figure on the pitch was referee Sanchez.

Following several challenges that went unpunished, in the eyes of Villa fans, Konsa lost his patience with the official when Lucas Digne got clattered.

He was seen yelling at Sanchez, who did not take kindly to the outburst. After telling Konsa to step back, Villa fans united against him. With less than 10 minutes on the clock, the home faithful were heard saying, “You’re not fit to referee” with great gusto.

Sanchez, who was quite trigger-happy with his whistle, did endear himself to Villa fans when he awarded Villa a penalty for a Martin Vitik handball.

He didn’t score, but nobody cared when Villa were 3-0 up at the interval. Konsa then scored a goal worthy of any striker with a wonderful turn and snap finish.

Emi Martinez’s solo pre-match routine

Usually, when players prepare for their pre-match warm-up, they come out together.

In this instance, though, World Cup winner Emi Martinez came out long before any of his teammates or Bologna’s players for a stretch and a personal pep talk.

Nobody else was around him in the tunnel, with the goalkeeper seen bouncing a ball, doing a deep stretch, and getting into the zone before kick-off.

He certainly seemed to be in the zone against Bologna, so much so that he got into a bit of showboating when Villa were 3-0 up.

In one instance, he nonchalantly flicked the ball over Bologna’s Santiago Castro, much to the striker’s frustration. Villa had a swagger about them, and Martinez was happy to join in.

Morgan Rogers’ relief

Rogers’ last goal for Villa was way back on 7 February away to Bournemouth in the Premier League. Speculation has mounted that Rogers may leave Villa this summer, while criticism has mounted over his deteriorating performances in recent weeks.

A return of 19 goal contributions is a solid return, but it is way down on last season’s total of 30, with some Villa fans fearful that his head has been turned by the transfer links.

But against Bologna, Rogers was back to something not far off his best as he scored a goal and bagged a lovely assist. In his 74-minute outing, he made three key passes and had a passing accuracy of 80 per cent.

After missing his penalty, Rogers’ relief at getting on the scoresheet was palpable. He initially saluted the crowd by the corner flag, perhaps trying to keep cool, before letting out a roar in celebration.

Rogers seemed to be given extra big hugs from his teammates, including Watkins, who beat the England international’s chest. He was sporting a big grin when he was replaced before joining his teammates, before engaging in what looked like some humorous chat.