Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal was a Champions League classic at Anfield. The Reds roared back from two goals down on a rainy Tuesday night to make it three wins from three in this season’s league phase.
Georges Mikautadze and Sergi Cardona put the visitors 2-0 up by the half-hour mark. Liverpool were level by the break thanks to headers from Alexis Mac Allister and Ronald Araujo, and were irresistible after the interval. Two goals in three minutes, a second for Mac Allister followed by a Florian Wirtz strike, made sure the scoreboard reflected their dominance. Tani Oluwaseyi pulled one back for Villarreal late on, but Andoni Iraola’s side held on to keep their 100 per cent start.
Van Dijk error gifts Villarreal an early lead
The game had barely settled when Villarreal struck. A rare miscalculation by Virgil van Dijk saw the Liverpool captain misplace his header back to Alisson Becker, and Mikautadze stole in to score.
The Reds, with the enterprising Rio Ngumoha to the fore down the right flank, sought a swift response. Despite plenty of possession and territory, visiting goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi remained largely untroubled.
On the half-hour, Villarreal inflicted further damage as Cardona rounded off a slick counter-attack.
Mac Allister and Araujo spark the fightback
Liverpool were in no mood to accept defeat. The comeback began on 36 minutes, when Mac Allister leapt to meet Kostas Tsimikas’ corner and glanced a fine header into the far corner.
Mac Allister then whistled a long-range drive narrowly wide, but the Reds drew level at the very end of the half. Araujo nodded in Ngumoha’s teasing cross at the back post.
Liverpool turn on the style after the break
The momentum was firmly with Liverpool, and Gulacsi had to deny Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Wirtz before the inevitable third goal arrived.
Villarreal simply could not contain Ngumoha. He skipped past a couple of challenges and put the ball on a plate for Mac Allister, whose run was timed to perfection. The No.10 finished from close range, and the ball crashed in off the crossbar.
Iraola’s team kept their foot on the accelerator, and just three minutes later it was 4-2. Wirtz collected Gakpo’s pass and found the bottom corner.
Liverpool could not sustain that intensity. Ayoze Perez hit the post for Villarreal before Oluwaseyi scored a back-post volley with a few minutes left. But the Reds had done enough to lift their Champions League points tally to nine and make it a third consecutive victory in all competitions.
Liverpool team and changes
Iraola made six changes, with Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni starting in midfield. Tsimikas, Gakpo, Lewis Koumas and Ngumoha were also named in the XI.
Liverpool: Alisson, Van Dijk, Jacquet (Gomez, 74), Mac Allister, Gakpo, Tsimikas, Araujo (Wirtz, 46), Gravenberch, Nyoni (McConnell, 82), Koumas (Isak, 66), Ngumoha (Barcola, 74).
Unused subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Kerkez, Chambers, Danns, Laffey.
Attendance: 59,610