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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Liverpool broke 130-year-old club record in second half fightback against Villarreal

Liverpool sealed their place in Paris for the Champions League final later this month with an inspired comeback at the home of Spanish outfit Villarreal.

A huge surprise appeared to be in the offing after a stunning first-half display from the hosts ensured the Yellow Submarine went in at the interval 2-0 up - cancelling out Liverpool's 2-0 advantage from the first-leg.

With the score-line signalling that the tie would go into extra-time, the Reds hit another gear that their hosts could not match.

Three second-half goals turned the tie on its head, though it was a night to forget for Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli who was arguably at fault for all three Liverpool goals. Sadio Mane bagged the third, meaning the Reds' overall tally for goals scored in all competitions this term sits at 139.

Not only does this represent an incredible feat from Klopp's side, but it also places this current crop of Liverpool players in the club's history books. 139 surpasses the previous tally of most goals scored by the team in a single season, dating all the way back to their formation in 1892.

Remarkably, there is still plenty of time for Liverpool add to that figure - most notably in the Champions League final they are now in. That game will be the final fixture of what promises to be a grandstand finish to a heroic effort collectively this campaign.

Before then, Liverpool have four Premier League games left to play as they look to chase down table-toppers Manchester City who boast a slender one-point lead. Mid-May also throws up another date with Chelsea under the iconic Wembley arch for the FA Cup final.

Sadio Mane netted Liverpool's record-breaking 139th goal of the season ((Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images))

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After finding themselves 2-0 down after 44 minutes, whatever Klopp told his players at half-time clearly worked as they came out with the kind of energy that very few sides in world football can contain. The Reds' comeback started via an unlikely source in Fabinho, whose tame shot squirmed through the legs of Rulli.

Game-changing substitution Luis Diaz equalised on the night with a header that again managed to find its way in the back of the net through Rulli's legs. The Colombian's goal ensured Liverpool's two-goal aggregate advantage was restored.

Mane put Liverpool's place in the final beyond any doubt when he beat the Villarreal goalkeeper to a stray ball before keeping his composure to shake off Juan Foyth and eventually guide the ball home into the empty net. The travelling Reds fans went wild in the away end as the Senegal international put the club on the brink of history once again.

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