Here’s Peter Lansley’s report from Villa Park. Thanks for joining me, and goodnight.

Ollie Watkins is asked about playing Forest next: “A positive we’re though to the semi-finals, but we take each game as it comes, and we’re focusing on Sunderland on Sunday.”

On scoring his 100th Villa goal, he says: “It’s a milestone every striker wants to hit … next on the list is 100 Premier League goals.” He’s currently on 84, and has also overtaken Peter Withe and John McGinn to become the club’s top European scorer.

Strasbourg have advanced to the Conference League semi-finals, beating Mainz 4-0 tonight and 4-2 on aggregate. They will face Rayo Vallecano, who held on to edge past AEK Athens.

“Strasbourg are a good team, and fun to watch,” writes Kari Tulinius. “I feel for Liam Rosenior. Thanks to Blueco’s unpopularity with fans, he’ll never be thought of fondly in Alsace, and his struggles at Chelsea mean his career prospects in England are diminishing by the day.

“That Strasbourg side is his team, but if they get to the final, the credit will go to Gary O’Neil,” Kari adds. If the final is Strasbourg v Crystal Palace, it’ll also say plenty about the Premier League’s domination of this competition.

John McGinn: “We had to get the first goal, they’re a dangerous team. It was a brilliant performance … they press aggressively so it’s important for us to pass the ball forward. [Morgan] showed tonight he can bounce back from difficult moments. We’ve got a big game on Sunday, an objective in the league to achieve.”

87 mins: Buendia delays his pass through to Abraham and instead finds Sancho, who plays it to Bailey on the right. His shot is deflected behind for a corner …

86 mins: Bologna’s best opening of the night, created by Rowe’s clever pass in behind. Sohm latches on to it and crosses for Orsolini – but with the goal gaping, Lucas Digne is there to clear it behind!

84 mins: Jonathan Rowe, whose impact has waned in the second half, is held off by Pau Torres. Villa have looked very organised tonight.

81 mins: A fourth change for Bologna: Torbjorn Heggem replaces the injured Casale at centre-back. No relation to Vegard, as far as I can tell.

80 mins: A shot on goal! From none other than Lucas Digne, who goes for the near post with a low, angled shot, but finds Ravaglia in his way this time.

79 mins: Konsa, who took the captain’s armband when McGinn went off, keeps Emi Martinez honest with a looping back-header that the keeper has to gather cleanly.

Listen, I won’t blame you for heading over to join Scott Murray for a game that’s still alive as a contest.

77 mins: Amadou Onana gets a big ovation as he heads off, replaced by Lamare Bogarde.

Another big comeback in the Conference League: Strasbourg lead Mainz 4-0 on the night, overturning a two-goal deficit from the first leg. In the Europa League, Braga lead 4-2 in Betis, 5-3 on aggregate.

75 mins: Bailey tries to link up with Abraham in the area, but his slide-rule pass is intercepted. Bologna are making a change, with midfielder Jens Odgaard replacing Castro.

73 mins: Rogers and Tielemans head off, replaced by Jadon Sancho and Douglas Luiz.

72 mins: Castro is left isolated in the Villa area as a cross comes in … and it’s time for some more subs.

Here are Villa’s remaining league fixtures: Sunderland (H), Fulham (A), Tottenham (H), Burnley (A), Liverpool (H), Manchester City (A). The Europa League semi-final legs will be played either side of the Spurs game.

69 mins: No real chance for Abraham or Bailey to influence things so far, with Villa sitting back and soaking up what little pressure Bologna can apply.

67 mins: Nikola Moro gets a shot on target, but Martinez is firmly behind his effort from the edge of the box.

66 mins: A brief spell of Bologna possession ends with Orsolini going down on the edge of the area, but getting nothing from the referee.

Conference League: Fiorentina lead Palace 2-1 on the night, but still trail 4-2 on aggregate – and Rayo are back in front, losing 3-1 to AEK but leading 4-3 overall.

63 mins: Time for some Villa changes. Tammy Abraham and Leon Bailey are coming on, replacing McGinn and Watkins, who scored his 100th goal for the club tonight.

62 mins: The free kick is worked around the edge of the area, before Konsa tries an unexpected through ball to fellow centre-back Torres, who can’t quite connect with it.

60 mins: Villa break away in trademark style, Tielemans poking the ball forward to Buendia, who finds Watkins in the middle. The striker goes over cheaply, and wins a free kick …

58 mins: Bologna have visited Villa Park three times in 18 months, and are yet to score. You’ve got to feel for any fans who have travelled for all three games.

56 mins: Orsolini, who has made an impact since coming on, almost squeezes his shot through a crowd of bodies. It ends up back with Martinez, who lifts the ball perilously close to Castro, but gets away with it.

Forest still lead by a single goal at home to 10-man Porto, while Braga have scored twice in quick succession to lead Betis 3-2 in Seville.

54 mins: Rogers goes over after tangling with a defender under a high ball, but is penalised for handball.

51 mins: Orsolini has a shot on goal which is deflected behind, and nothing comes of the corner as Bologna try to give their travelling fans something to cheer.

Over in the Conference League, Rayo Vallecano kicked off in Greece with a 3-0 first-leg lead – but it’s been wiped out, Zini’s second goal putting AEK 3-0 up on the night, and level on aggregate.

49 mins: Castro has a shot from the edge of the area that is well struck, but never troubling Emi Martinez.

47 mins: There may be another change coming up for the visitors – Vitik has stayed down after a collision.

46 mins: Freuler, João Mario and Bernardeschi have gone off; Riccardo Orsolini, Simon Sohm and Nadir Zortea come on.

“It’s time the Europa League is renamed the Emery Cup,” writes Krishna Moorthy. If we’re talking about renaming the actual trophy, I’m in total agreement.

Conference League latest:
AEK Athens 2-0 Rayo Vallecano (HT, 2-3 agg)
Fiorentina 1-1 Crystal Palace (HT, 1-4 agg)
Strasbourg 2-0 Mainz (HT, 2-2 agg)
AZ 2-2 Shakhtar Donetsk (FT, 2-5 agg)

Europa League latest:
Aston Villa 3-0 Bologna (HT, 6-1 agg)
Betis 2-1 Braga (HT, 3-2 agg)
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Porto (HT, 2-1 agg)
Celta Vigo 1-3 Freiburg (FT, 1-6 agg)

45 mins: Two added minutes.

44 mins: There’s another big appeal for handball as Bologna frantically try to get the ball clear – but nothing doing this time. Replays suggest that Joao Mario’s arm didn’t touch the ball.

43 mins: Cash gets upfield and sends in a cross that is cleared behind for a corner …

So, Villa lead 6-1 on aggregate despite Bologna causing plenty of problems, particularly in the first leg. But while the Italian side look good going forward, they have been shocking defensively.

Ravaglia is beaten at his near post again as Rogers collects McGinn’s pass on the left, takes a touch and finishes with the necessary aplomb.

37 mins: Rowe does find a pocket of space now, and sends a dangerous cross towards the far post, where forward Santiago Castro can’t quite reach it.

35 mins: Rowe again tries to make something happen out wide, but Cash is able to contain him …

34 mins: Did you know that Federico Bernardeschi was given the nickname “Brunelleschi” (after a famous Florentine architect) while at Fiorentina? Now you do. No, not much is happening.

32 mins: Bernardeschi chases a through ball under pressure from Digne, then remonstrates with the assistant in the classic Italian style. He needs to be careful, having just been booked.

Fiorentina have pulled one back against Palace thanks to Albert Gudmundsson’s penalty – but they’re still 4-1 down on aggregate.

32 mins: Rowe does well to keep the ball in from a Bologna free kick, but Villa’s defence get it away.

30 mins: Shooooooot, the home fans urge Lucas Digne, who has a go but slips and sends the ball straight to a Bologna player. No harm done.

29 mins: If Bologna arrived here with faint hopes, the jig is pretty much up already. Bernardeschi goes in the book for a clumsy late challenge on Amadou Onana.

“Billy Bremner and Billy McNeil were captains of Leeds and Celtic in the European Cup in 1970. Celtic won the tie 2-1, and 3-1 on aggregate” writes Bill Laidlaw. Now that was a proper football match.

22 mins: Penalty check! Digne swings in a cross, which Vitik clears away from Rogers – but the ball struck his arm on the way through, and the referee is heading to the monitor.

20 mins: Bernardeschi hits another well-struck but central effort that Martinez parries away. Over in Florence, Crystal Palace lead 1-0, and 4-0 on aggregate – Ismaila Sarr with the goal.

18 mins: Rogers gets free again and forces Ravaglia into a solid save, springing to his left. Villa were barely simmering before that goal, but have turned up the heat with frightening speed.

There were 14 passes leading up to the goal, Rogers combining beautifully with Buendia before cutting the ball back perfectly for Watkins to slam it home.

“I shall be among 1,057 pedants to tell you your Scottish captains question happened at least once before in Europe … in the first leg last week,” honks Benjamin Gravestock (and no other pedants).

13 mins: Rowe again looks to make in-roads from the left, and shimmies into the penalty area before Cash gets across to intercept.

Who will the winners face in the semi-final? The odds on Nottingham Forest have sharpened significantly – they lead 1-0 at home to Porto, who have seen Jan Bednarek sent off!

11 mins: Bernardeschi stings Martinez’s palms with a decent effort from the edge of the area. It’s been a positive start from the visitors, who need to win by two goals just to force extra time.

“I thought the first round of the 1978-79 European Cup, where Liverpool played Nottingham Forest, may have given us two Scottish captains of non-Scottish sides – Graeme Souness and John McGovern respectively,” writes Tony Hughes.

“It appears that Emlyn Hughes was still captain back then, though – Souness had to wait until 1981-82 season.” You might argue that if Souey’s in your dressing room, he’s the captain in all but name.

9 mins: Rowe bustles in from the left flank and sees his shot charged down, before Villa get a free kick for a foul on Digne. It’s greeted with ironic cheers from the crowd, who have seen too many calls go Bologna’s way in the first, er, nine minutes.

7 mins: Lovely play by Watkins at the byline, cutting past a defender and finding Rogers. His cut-back evades Tielemans, leaving Pau Torres to hit a speculator high over the bar.

5 mins: Matty Cash stands up to Jonathan Rowe’s first attempted foray down Villa’s right, and the ball is out for a goal kick. Rowe caused plenty of problems in the first leg, and will be one to watch tonight.

3 mins: A few Villa players are a yellow card away from suspension: Cash, Rogers, McGinn, Digne and substitute Victor Lindelof. Bookings are wiped out for the semi-finals, but suspensions aren’t, so all five must tread carefully.

2 mins: Emi Buendia tries to bend one on target from the edge of the area, but sees his shot blocked.

The players are in the tunnel, with captains McGinn and Ferguson enjoying some pre-match patter. Villa fans have unveiled what I can only describe as a Renaissance-themed tifo. It’s bubbling up nicely.

Some pre-game thoughts from Unai Emery: “We got a good result [in Bologna], but it’s not done. It’s going to be difficult, we respect them, but we are confident with our great supporters behind us.”

He adds that experience of near misses – losing to Olympiakos in the semi-finals, finishing sixth in the league last term – is galvanising his players. “Of course, Champions League is the best gift we can achieve. We are excited, we are motivated.”

As dozens of TV ads paid for by bookmakers relentlessly advise me to take a break from betting, I can report that it’s finished Celta 1-3 Freiburg (1-6 on agg) in the Europa League, and AZ 2-2 Shakhtar (2-5 on agg) in the Conference League.

I noticed on the team sheets that both of tonight’s captains are Scottish: John McGinn and Lewis Ferguson. Has this ever happened before in a European tie – particularly one not featuring a Scottish team? Hey, it’s like a live Knowledge, this. Just don’t ask me anything.

In tonight’s early game, Freiburg are cruising into the semi-finals – after winning 3-0 at home to Celta Vigo last week, they’re repeating the trick in Spain to lead 6-0 on aggregate. The Bundesliga side will face either Real Betis or Braga in the final four.

In the Conference League, AZ have just levelled to make it 1-1 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk; sadly for the hosts, they lost the first leg 3-0, so are very much heading out. Shakhtar will face Crystal Palace in the semis unless Fiorentina can pull off a spectacular comeback from three goals down in Italy this evening.