Emery's men butcher the Bolognese

Aston Villa didn't just beat Bologna; they essentially evicted them from the Europa League with the kind of cold, calculated efficiency usually reserved for tax audits and Bond villains. After a first half that was about as stimulating as a lecture on lawn maintenance—concluding in a drab NONE-NONE stalemate—Unai Emery clearly had words. Whatever he said in that dressing room probably involved a lot of pointing at the 4th place position Villa currently hold in the Premier League and reminding them that they aren't here to be polite hosts.

The second half was a proper demolition. Villa stepped onto the pitch and decided that four goals was a nice, round number to remind the Italians that Birmingham is more than just a place with a lot of canals. Bologna, who sit 8th in Serie A and apparently left their defensive organization in the arrivals lounge at Heathrow, simply evaporated. It was painful to watch, if you have a soul. Fortunately, at Goalazo, we traded ours for a season ticket and a cynical worldview years ago.

Seven-one on aggregate. Read that again. That isn't a scoreline; it's a STATEMENT. It's the kind of result that makes you realize the difference between a side pushing for the Champions League and a team that’s just happy to be on the guest list. Bologna looked like they were playing in slow motion, while Villa were operating at a frequency that the visitors’ defenders couldn't even hear, let alone track.

What does this mean for the standings of European credibility? Villa are now into the semi-finals, and they are looking like the absolute bullies of this competition. They are DOMINATING the knockout stages with the kind of arrogance that usually requires a much bigger trophy cabinet. As for Bologna, they can go back to being 8th in Italy, where the coffee is better but the defending, apparently, is optional.

Bologna's dream of European glory died a loud, painful death in the West Midlands. Villa are charging toward the final with the momentum of a runaway freight train, and frankly, anyone standing in their way should probably just call in sick. TOTAL ANNIHILATION.