Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield on Tuesday night (20 October), with Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice as Liverpool made it three wins from three in the Champions League league phase.
It was Villarreal’s night for the first half hour. In the fourth minute Virgil van Dijk misjudged a header back to Alisson Becker, and Georges Mikautadze nipped in to score. On the half hour Sergi Cardona finished a quick counter-attack, and the Spanish side were 2-0 up in the rain.
Andoni Iraola had made six changes, starting Ryan Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni in midfield with Kostas Tsimikas, Cody Gakpo, Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha also in the side. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak began on the bench.
Two headers before the break
Liverpool had the ball and the territory, but Villarreal goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi had little to do until the 36th minute. Tsimikas swung in a corner and Mac Allister rose to glance it into the far corner.
Mac Allister then drove a shot narrowly wide from distance. In stoppage time at the end of the half, Ngumoha curled a cross to the back post and Ronald Araujo, unmarked behind Cardona, headed Liverpool level at 2-2.
Ngumoha opens the door
Wirtz came on for Araujo at half-time and Liverpool pushed straight on. Gulacsi saved from Gravenberch, Gakpo and Wirtz before the third goal finally came in the 65th minute.
Ngumoha did most of the work. The teenager skipped past two challenges on the right and squared for Mac Allister, whose close-range finish went in off the crossbar.
Three minutes later it was 4-2. Gakpo slipped the ball to Wirtz, and the Germany international drilled a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
A nervous last few minutes
Liverpool could not keep up that pace. Ayoze Perez hit the post for Villarreal, and with three minutes of normal time left Tani Oluwaseyi met a ball at the back post with a volley to make it 4-3.
Joe Gomez and Barcola had already come on, and James McConnell joined them late as the home side held on in front of a crowd of 59,610.
Nine points from nine
The win keeps Liverpool’s record in this season’s Champions League perfect at nine points from three matches. Holders Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes on the same night, are also on nine before Wednesday’s games. Villarreal, who had won one of their first two, stay on three points.
It is also a third straight win in all competitions for Iraola’s side, after the 2-1 Premier League win over nine-man Brentford. The worry is at the back: Liverpool have now conceded three goals in each of their last two Champions League matches.
Liverpool stay at Anfield for their next game, against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday (25 October), kick-off 2pm UK time, or 10pm in Singapore.
