A deflected Jordan Henderson cross and a Sadio Mane strike were enough for Liverpool to take command of their Champions League semi final tie against Villarreal with a two-goal win at Anfield.
The first half was one of frustration for the hosts; Mane misjudged a Mohamed Salah cross to spurn a half-opening while Thiago Alcantara’s long-range effort cannoned back off the crossbar. The visitors created nothing of note, but were able to shut out the Reds.
After the break it was an entirely different story; Fabinho’s stabbed finish was ruled out for offside but Henderson’s deflected cross looped over Geronimo Rulli in the 53 rd minute – in what was officially a Pervis Estupinan own goal – before Mane doubled the lead two minutes later after Salah’s assist. Andy Robertson thought he’d added a third just after the hour mark, but again it was ruled offside.
Here are five talking points from Anfield in what was another dominant display from the hosts.
Quickfire Reds unpick the lock
Liverpool had to bide their time to find the combination to unlock the Villarreal defence and it took somewhat of a stroke of good fortune – as Henderson’s cross looped off Estupinan to deceive Rulli. Yet two minutes later, Mane added a second with a cool finish from Salah’s pass.
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Just as had been the case four days earlier against Everton, Klopp’s side did not panic and believed in their own style of play and system to get their noses in front. It is indicative of the self-belief and assuredness with which they are playing to overcome their opponents.
Emery’s magic touch?
Emery won all 12 knockout ties during his tenure at Sevilla, won each of his four at Arsenal and again triumphed in each of the four for Villarreal last season. The caveat to that was that each of those ties was in the Europa League, with Emery’s only previous Champions League experience being the underwhelming Paris Saint-Germain stint.
Yet this season the Spaniard guided Villarreal to the Round of 16 victory over Juventus, easing past the Italian club 4-1 on aggregate, before masterminding the sensational triumph past Bayern Munich. Excluding that spell in Paris, Emery has now won 22 two-legged knockout ties across Sevilla, Arsenal and Villarreal – with the win over Bayern his finest achievement yet.
Going into this tie, he had won his last 10 successive semi finals as a manager and he will not lose faith in his players with next week’s return leg in Spain despite the task in front of them.
Reds forget Spanish problems
Since Liverpool were knocked out of the Europa League by Besiktas in 2015, the only teams that have eliminated them from European competition have been from La Liga.
All of Jurgen Klopp’s exits have come against Spanish sides. In 2016, it was the Europa League final again Sevilla (managed by Unai Emery) and the following year the club were not in Europe. In 2018 they fell shy in the Champions League final against Real Madrid before winning the trophy the following year, while Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have inflicted their European exits since.
Of course, the Reds could feasibly still lose this tie or be eliminated in the final against Madrid once more, but barring a final loss against Manchester City – the pattern of Klopp’s side either winning the tournament or losing to a Spanish side will continue.
Fortress Anfield returns
European nights at Anfield are renowned as being among the toughest for any visiting side – even in the decades when Liverpool’s side were nowhere near the current level of Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Yet that memorable four-goal comeback victory over Barcelona in 2019 was their last knockout home victory in the Champions League. The following year, there was the Round of 16 loss against Atletico Madrid and the following season, the win over RB Leipzig at the same stage was in Budapest due to the Covid pandemic. The following round, Real Madrid secured a scoreless draw at Anfield to reach the quarter finals.
This season, Inter secured a 1-0 win at Anfield in the Round of 16 before Benfica fought back from 3-1 down to secure a 3-3 draw. This victory was a surprisingly long-time coming.
Everton provide template
Liverpool were ultimately victorious in their weekend victory over Everton in the Premier League, but it took Jurgen Klopp’s side over an hour to find the breakthrough – and they had failed to create any clear-cut opportunities prior to Andy Robertson bundling the ball home in that tie.
While Emery was always going to set-up Villarreal in a similar fashion – as he did for their away trip successes to Juventus and Bayern Munich – he will have been encouraged by the Reds being frustrated against an Everton side who are inferior to his own outfit. While Villarreal were limited to a first half xG of 0.03 (Giovani Lo Celso’s half-volley on the stretch) and they rode their luck a little, their shutout of the Reds was precisely their plan. However, just as with Everton, that resistance could only hold out for so long in the second period.
