Lee Hendrie found himself restrained by security staff after goading Nottingham Forest supporters during Aston Villa’s emphatic Europa League semi-final second leg triumph on Thursday evening.
The former Villa midfielder, now 48, was captured on video enthusiastically waving towards dejected away fans as the home side romped to a commanding lead.
Footage showed the ex-England international laughing whilst pointing out the scoreline to devastated Forest supporters as the match drew to a close.
With Villa cruising at 4-0 in the dying minutes, Hendrie appeared determined to whip the home faithful into a frenzy, only for a steward to intervene by physically holding him back.
Hendrie spent 13 years at Villa Park, racking up 308 appearances for the club during his playing career.
The Sky Sports pundit, clearly revelling in the occasion, was seen cheerfully gesturing towards the visiting contingent housed in the away section throughout the contest.
As the final whistle approached, he made no attempt to hide his delight, openly mocking the crestfallen Forest faithful by brandishing the scoreline in their direction.
Lee Hendrie found himself restrained by security staff after goading Nottingham Forest supporters during Aston Villa’s emphatic Europa League semi-final second leg triumph on Thursday evening
|
PA
His attempts to energise the Villa Park crowd during the closing stages were cut short when matchday staff stepped in to prevent any further provocation.
The incident was widely shared across social media platforms, sparking a polarised response from football supporters.
Reaction online was sharply divided over Hendrie’s conduct.
Former Aston Villa player Lee Hendrie spent the game last night winding up the Nottingham Forest away end during the game last night. ðŸ˜ðŸ˜†
In the end, stewards had to move him away from the area… 🫣 pic.twitter.com/wnZbksdDKq
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) May 8, 2026
Lee Hendrie could barely contain his joy as Aston Villa reached the Europa League final
|
PA
Several supporters rallied behind the former midfielder, with one simply declaring him a “Legend” whilst another posted “Super Lee Hendrie!”
A third fan noted his status as a “Former player and life long fan.”
However, others were far less charitable in their assessment. One critic branded him an “absolute weapon” for his behaviour towards the visiting supporters.
Another questioned the Sky Sports regular’s conduct, asking: “Is he always like this? Embarrassing himself and the club.”
Villa entered the second leg trailing 1-0 after Chris Wood’s penalty in the first encounter.
Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia and John McGinn all found the net as the hosts swept aside their opponents with a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
John McGinn netted twice as Aston Villa crushed Nottingham Forest’s hopes of Europa League glory | PA
Manager Unai Emery reflected on the performance afterwards: “They were so focused, they were aware about the momentum.
“We planned before emotionally and how we were playing the match.”
He added: “Europe is very important. In my first press conference here I was speaking about Europe, I was speaking about trophies as well, but it’s very difficult.”
Hendrie was not the only high-profile Villa supporter celebrating, with Prince William spotted singing and dancing in the stands before visiting the dressing room post-match.
Villa will now lock horns with Freiburg in the final on May 20.
