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Liverpool clinched a routine 2-0 win over Villarreal in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday, 27 April at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp's men were utterly dominant and were barely tested by Unai Emery's visiting side.
The La Liga club were flying high after pulling off a shock upset over Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, winning 2-1 on aggregate. However, they were completely outmatched against the Premier League giants and could not manage a single shot on target. Meanwhile, the Reds enjoyed just under 75 percent of possession and had 19 shots, of which five were at goal.
Liverpool took a huge step towards the UEFA Champions League final after a devastating second-half display
While the first-half saw no goals, Liverpool took command of the tie early in the second-half, scoring twice in less than three minutes. The Reds forced an own goal from Ecuadorian defender Pervis Estupinan after Jordan Henderson's cross deflected off the defender into the back of the net in the 53rd minute.
Salah turned provider two minutes later as he played in Sadio Mane, who continued his excellent run of form with a clever finish. The Reds are in a strong position heading into the second-leg, which will be played on 3 May at El Madrigal.
On that note, here are five hits and flops from a one-sided game at Anfield:
#5 Hit: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Although he failed to get on the scoresheet, the Egyptian winger was a threat all night against the La Liga side. Salah was involved in both of Liverpool's goals on the night. He set things in motion by setting up Jordan Henderson's cross, which was deflected in for an own goal.
The wideman was the primary architect of the Reds' second strike as he weaved past the Villarreal defense before slotting the ball through for Mane. The weight on Salah's pass was perfect and sat up perfectly for Mane while Rulli was left with no choice but to charge off his line.
He created two big chances, gave two key passes and had four shots on the goal.
#4 Flop: Pervis Estupinan (Villarreal)
On a night when Villarreal could not afford to put a foot wrong, 24-year-old full-back Pervis Estupinan inadvertently helped Liverpool break the deadlock. It was hard to fault the Ecuadorian defender for the Reds' opener, though. He stuck out a foot in a desperate attempt to stop Henderson from putting a cross into the box.
However, the unfortunate deflection meant that Estupinan was credited with the own goal. It was the lowlight of a wretched second-half spell for the defender. He was booked just minutes before his own goal for a cynical tug on Salah.
Estupinan was substituted in the 72nd minute but the damage was already done. He lost the possession a whopping 21 times and lost six duels.
#3 Hit: Thiago (Liverpool)
What a week it has been for Thiago Alcantara. The Liverpool midfielder turned in yet another imperious display in the middle of the park at Anfield. His strong showing against Villarreal came after two terrific performances against Manchester United and Everton in the Premier League. The Reds won both of those games with remarkable ease and enjoyed over 70 percent of the possession in each of the fixtures as well.
Wednesday's game was no different as the Reds had the lion's share of the ball. Thiago came closest to opening the scoring in the first-half and was unfortunate to see his sizzling strike from distance cannon off the woodwork. He completed 90 minutes for the second straight game and barely broke a sweat as Klopp's side exerted their dominance on the visitors.
The Spaniard completed 99 passes with an astonishing accuracy of 96%, gave nine accurate long balls and had 118 touches of the ball.
#2 Flop: Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal)
It was an outing to forget for Villarreal's 29-year-old custodian, who played a part in both of Liverpool's goals. The Argentinian keeper was caught out for the opener and failed to keep Henderson's looping cross out despite backpedaling and getting a hand on the ball.
Salah created the second goal of the night with a brilliant ball but Rulli could have done better to close the angle for Mane. The Villarreal keeper chose to dart off his line but left too much space at his near post, allowing the Senegalese star to poke the ball home.
#1 Hit: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
What a season it is turning out to be for Senegalese superstar Sadio Mane. Liverpool's 30-year-old forward is thriving in his new role that has seen him deployed through the middle by Klopp.
He turned in an assured display against Emery's men, showing off his strength on the ball and clever movement off it. Mane's goal against Villarreal was his 20th of the season across competitions and came in his 44th appearance of the campaign.
It was also the 14th time he had netted in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. It took him level with Chelsea legend Didier Drogba. As a result, Mane now holds the joint record for the most goals by an African player in the Champions League knockout stages.
