Aston Villa are safely through in the Europa League. Nottingham Forest have an inconvenient play-off to navigate. And Rangers might just have done Celtic a favour.

The Europa League returned on Thursday night and set up a dramatic final matchday next week.

British clubs in the Europa League – Thursday results

• 10-man Celtic blow two-goal lead at Bologna
• Hard-fought Aston Villa win v Fenerbahce
• Rangers earn first Europa League win of the season
• Morgan Gibbs-White misses penalty as Nottingham Forest lose in Braga

It’s been a near-perfect Europa League campaign for Aston Villa, who are safely through to the last 16 with a game to spare.

The same cannot be said for Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, whose inconsistent results leave them facing a play-off to reach the last 16.

Celtic, meanwhile, need a win to secure a play-off spot, while Rangers are already out of contention, but at least they finally have a victory to show for it.

Aston Villa secure Europa League last-16 spot

Jadon Sancho’s first goal for Aston Villa helped them see off Fenerbahce in Istanbul, securing their place in the Europa League last 16 with a game to spare.

Unai Emery’s side host Red Bull Salzburg next week in their final league-phase fixture, and the Spaniard will be more than happy to rotate heavily and rest his stars for a match sandwiched between crucial Premier League clashes against Newcastle United and Brentford.

It has been a remarkable campaign for the Villans. They have won six of their seven Europa League matches to comfortably reach the knockout stages and currently sit third in the Premier League after 22 games. Whether via their league position or by lifting the Europa League trophy in May, Villa look destined for Champions League football next season.

We wouldn’t wish the Manchester United job on our worst enemy, but it is quite remarkable how little interest the Red Devils appear to have in Emery. His underwhelming stint at Arsenal might still deter the Old Trafford hierarchy, but succeeding Arsene Wenger was always going to be a poisoned chalice. Manchester United, of all clubs, should understand the impossible pressure of replacing a legendary manager after more than two decades in charge.

Behind Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique, Emery should be United’s top priority. His ability to navigate a relentless midweek-to-weekend schedule is just one of many strings to his bow. It has allowed Villa to mount a genuine Premier League title challenge while maintaining better Europa League form than everyone bar Lyon (who also sit at 6-0-1).

Emery is a world-class manager. He has spent more than three years extracting every ounce of potential from this Villa squad. He might not fancy leaving, but he deserves another crack at managing a true European juggernaut.

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Nottingham Forest face Europa League play-off after Braga defeat

Victory in Braga would have put Nottingham Forest level on points and goal difference with Real Betis, the club currently occupying the final automatic qualification spot for the last 16.

Instead, a miserable night in Portugal leaves Sean Dyche’s men all but guaranteed a two-legged play-off tie come February.

They really were the architects of their own downfall. Having been awarded a penalty early in the second half, Morgan Gibbs-White saw his low effort expertly saved by Lukas Hornicek. To make matters worse, within a minute, Ryan Yates was steering the ball into his own net.

It proved a calamitous evening for Dyche and his players.

Elliot Anderson’s 94th-minute red card rubbed salt into the wounds, coming moments after Dan Ndoye had been booked for a dive in the box.

The silver lining for Forest is that they can’t fall out of the competition entirely.

In?a winnable home fixture against Ferencvaros next week, they likely wouldn’t have risked the Anderson anyway. They are safe in the play-offs at the very least. But a play-off tie feels like nothing more than a self-inflicted inconvenience.

Celtic screw themselves but Rangers help them out

Reo Hatate’s needless red card may have cost Celtic victory away to Bologna, but a 2-2 draw still represents a valuable point in their bid to reach the play-offs.

Hatate’s fifth-minute opener gave the Scottish champions the perfect start, but he went from hero to zero inside half an hour, picking up two yellow cards in the space of just three minutes. Somehow, Celtic found themselves 2-0 up only six minutes after Hatate’s dismissal thanks to Auston Trusty.

That cushion proved crucial. Bologna absolutely hammered the Hoops in the second half, eventually earning a draw through goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jonathan Rowe.

Celtic will be frustrated to drop two points from a 2-0 lead, but their fate remains in their own hands ahead of Utrecht’s visit to Parkhead next week.

They can thank Rangers for that. The Gers’ win over Ludogorets ensured their arch-rivals remained in the final play-off spot. Love thy neighbour, and all that.

It was Rangers’ first Europa League win of the season – a reflection less of progress under Danny Rohl, who is doing a fine job at Ibrox, and more of the mess left behind by former boss Russell Martin.

With a play-off spot already out of reach, Rangers were playing purely for pride, and they were significantly better than Ludogorets and good value for the win.

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