By Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa clinched their place in the European Cup final on this day in 1982 courtesy of a tense goalless draw at RSC Anderlecht in the second leg of their semi-final.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg at Villa Park thanks to Tony Morley’s first-half strike, the Villans’ stalemate in Belgium ensured they progressed into the European showpiece.

The 1-0 semi-final aggregate triumph set up a showdown with German giants Bayern Munich on May 26 – a date forever etched into Villa history as we went on to lift the biggest prize in European club football.

A dramatic night at Émile Versé Stadium in Brussels unfortunately saw running incidents among fans in one stand behind a goal as events off the field provided the backdrop for those on it.

The hard-fought encounter witnessed Villa’s defensive unit put in a superb shift to keep at bay an Anderlecht side who suffered their first and only defeat of the competition at Villa Park.

The hosts pressed for a first-half opener to level the tie but Jimmy Rimmer stood firm, while Peter Withe went agonisingly close at the other end.

Villa created openings of their own in the second period as Withe saw a goal ruled out for offside before Gary Shaw was denied by a brilliant save from goalkeeper Jacky Munaron.

But it was Villa who were left celebrating at the full-time whistle as Tony Barton guided the club to the European Cup final in just his first month in charge.

Defender Allan Evans said: “I’ve got to say, when that final whistle went on that particular match, that’s probably the most exciting… even now, I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it.

“That was the most exciting time for me, that was the biggest thrill I’ve ever had in football.”

Kenny Swain added: “I think Tony (Morley) has gone on record a few times saying the thrill of those two legs is probably greater than the thrill of going out for the final.”

Villa were forced to wait before being able to fully celebrate as Anderlecht’s launched an appeal into the result as a result of the crowd disturbances.

Yet, following a UEFA investigation, the result stood and Villa were heading to Rotterdam – where they went on to seal the most memorable night in the club’s history.

As we continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the club's European Cup success, join Evans, Swain, Shaw and Morley plus Villa team-mates Dennis Mortimer, Gordon Cowans and Des Bremner to relive our semi-final triumph over Anderlecht en route to the final.