The Yellow Submarine equalized with two first-half goals but Liverpool responded with three goals in 12 minutes.
Villarreal will have to do something special to keep its Cinderella Champions League campaign going as Liverpool enters the second leg in Spain with the clear advantage.
After a scoreless first half in the semifinal first leg at Anfield, Liverpool put together two goals in two minutes—one coming on a Villarreal own goal—to come away with the 2–0 aggregate lead. But the Reds will have to hold off a Villarreal side that has put together a couple of formidable second-leg performances so far.
In the round of 16, Villarreal crushed Juventus, 3–0, in Turin in the second leg. Then, against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, Samuel Chukwueze’s 88th-minute winner sent the German champions crashing out of the competition. On Tuesday, unlike those second legs, the Yellow Submarine will be in front of its home support, where it hasn’t lost in 2022.
Villarreal will have to pull off the comeback without one of its top players, as Arnaut Danjuma is unavailable with a foot injury. There is some good news for the hosts in the form of Gerard Moreno’s return, with the striker having missed the first leg.
Meanwhile, Liverpool is 90 minutes away from its third Champions League final in five years. Jürgen Klopp’s side is also chasing down a historic quadruple, and Tuesday’s second leg is at the forefront of that journey.
It only took three minutes for Villarreal to heap the pressure on Liverpool. In front of a raucous crowd, Boulaye Dia cut Liverpool’s aggregate lead in half after former Spurs midfielder Étienne Capoue sent a perfect one-time cross through the area to Dia’s feet.
According to Squawka, the goal meant that Villarreal had scored on its last six shots on target in the Champions League, dating back to the round of 16.
Villarreal kept up the pressure as Liverpool struggled to get out of its own half throughout the first 15 minutes. However, in the 14th minute, the 2019 European champions nearly reestablished their lead when Thiago Alcântara’s long-distance shot sailed just over the goal.
In the 23rd minute, Liverpool seemed to have its best chance yet when Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah led a counterattack into the Villarreal half. After a bit of confusion between Villarreal defender Raúl Albiol and keeper Gerónimo Rulli, Liverpool looked to have an open goal before Salah was called for a foul interfering with Rulli.
The Yellow Submarine looked to have a golden chance in the 37th minute but was left to argue for a penalty that was never given. Giovani Lo Celso was through on goal but wasn’t able to control the ball in front of Alisson. The Liverpool keeper barreled through Lo Celso but also knocked the ball away, which led the referee to allow play to continue.
But Villarreal wouldn’t have to wait long for its equalizer. In the 41st minute, Capoue sent another perfect cross into the box off a counterattack, this time finding Francis Coquelin. The former Arsenal midfielder rose above Trent Alexander-Arnold and headed home the effort for his first European goal in eight years.
Liverpool came shockingly close to a goal in the 55th minute off a quickly taken free kick. Alexander-Arnold took the quick pass and launched a long-range effort that deflected off a defender and looped high in the air before striking the crossbar.
After dominating possession in the second half, Fabinho restored the lead for Liverpool in the 62nd minute. After taking a pass from Salah just off to the side of goal, the Brazilian rocketed a shot through the legs of Rulli, who might have done better to save the chance.
Within five minutes, Liverpool was back out to a two-goal aggregate lead. Luis Díaz, who came on for Diogo Jota at halftime, struck in the 67th minute on a wide-open header after he beat the offside trap.
In the 74th minute, Sadio Mané put the tie to bed with Liverpool’s third goal in 12 minutes. Rulli was once again partially at fault as he charged out at goal. Mané evaded the keeper and guided home the chance to extend Liverpool’s aggregate lead to 5–2.
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Here are the lineups for both sides:
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