Aston Villa dismantled Bologna with a ruthless 4-0 victory at Villa Park on Thursday night, cruising into the UEFA Europa League semi-finals with a dominant 7-1 aggregate scoreline.

The win ensures a mouth-watering all-English clash in the final four, as Unai Emery’s men prepare to face regional rivals Nottingham Forest for a place in the final.

The night belonged to Ollie Watkins, who etched his name further into club folklore by scoring his 100th goal for Aston Villa in the 16th minute. The milestone goal came at the end of a slick team move involving Lucas Digne and Emiliano Buendía, setting the tone for a night of total control. Although Morgan Rogers saw a penalty saved shortly after, the reprieve for Bologna was short-lived; Emiliano Buendía doubled the lead less than a minute later, reacting quickest to a Digne long throw.

Rogers made amends for his missed spot-kick before the interval, drilling a low shot past Federico Ravaglia to make it 3-0 and effectively end the tie as a contest. Villa’s first-half performance was statistically one of their best in European history, producing over 2.4 xG and suffocating the Italian side’s midfield.

The second half was a more measured affair, but Villa refused to let their clean sheet slip. Ezri Konsa added the gloss in the 89th minute, swivel-volleying home from a corner to complete the rout. The emphatic nature of the win underscores Villa’s status as tournament favorites under Emery, a specialist in this competition.

With Nottingham Forest having dispatched Porto earlier in the evening, the stage is now set for a historic semi-final between two of the Midlands’ most storied clubs.

This will be the first time two English clubs from the same region have met in the penultimate stage of the Europa League, guaranteeing a Premier League representative in the final in Istanbul this May.