As these two former continental champions fought out the opening exchanges of the first all-English European semi-final since 2009, it looked as though it might be a cagey first leg.
But early saves from Stefan Ortega off Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, coupled with some promising moves from Forest, challenged that midway through the first half.
And the look on Emiliano Martinez’s face said it all when he just about prevented Igor Jesus’ close-range effort from crossing the line, keeping his side from going behind for the first time in five UEL away matches.
That was about it for the first half, but there was renewed hope for both sides after the break, and Ollie Watkins’ poke goalwards proved an easy stop for an in-position Ortega.
A lull in play followed, meaning it was a surprise when referee Joao Pinheiro was called to the VAR screen and awarded a penalty after Omari Hutchinson hooked it back off the byline onto the outstretched arm of Lucas Digne.
Chris Wood seemed unfazed in bulleting into the top left from the spot, scoring in back-to-back games for the first time since returning from injury.
The expected resurgence from the visitors never really materialised following the goal, and Forest instead saw out the victory, looking more likely to score themselves.
With a top-five finish in the Premier League looking very likely, Unai Emery may well rotate his side this weekend, with a strong performance needed in the second leg for the Spaniard to progress from a sixth successive UEL semi-final as a manager.
Forest will be delighted to hold the advantage, one which they’ll likely need given that they haven’t beaten the Villans away from home since 1994.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Stefan Ortega (Nottingham Forest)
