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Villarreal manager Unai Emery has lavished praise on Liverpool, hailing them as 'the best team in the world'. The Yellow Submarine will take on the mighty Reds on Tuesday (May 3) in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
The Merseysiders established a 2-0 advantage in the first leg courtesy of a Pervis Estupinan own goal followed by a Sadio Mane strike. Villarreal have done well to defy the odds to make it to the last four of the Champions League, beating Juventus and a strong Bayern Munich side. However, they were completely humbled by Jurgen Klopp's side.
Unai Emery, whose side beat Manchester United to win last year's Europa League, has admitted that Liverpool are the best team on the planet right now. The former Arsenal manager has claimed that Villarreal will have to be at the top of their game if they have to make a comeback from 2-0 down.
In his pre-match press conference, the Spanish manager said, as quoted by The Mirror:
"We have to play the perfect game. We have to reach a level of excellence. And yes, you’re right, do something that no one has done. They are the best team in the world and they play with a certain superiority and confidence."
Villarreal fared pretty well in the first half of the first leg with their excellent defensive structure, frustrating the Liverpool attackers.
However, they eventually succumbed to the ever-increasing pressure, with Pervis Estupinan deflecting a cross from Reds skipper Jordan Henderson into his own net. Mohamed Salah's vision combined with Sadio Mane's excellent movement led to the Merseyside outfit doubling their lead.
Notably, Emery claimed last week that Liverpool will 'suffer' in the second leg. He said: (as seen in the talkSPORT report):
“We’ll change something maybe tactically, but I think they are going to suffer more than tonight in the next leg.”
Liverpool continue to chase an unprecedented quadruple
This could be a historic season for Liverpool Football Club if they can finish the season with four trophies. No team in England have ever done this but the Reds still have a long way to go to complete an unprecedented quadruple.
Having already won the League Cup by beating Chelsea in the final, the Reds will be looking to repeat the trick in the FA Cup final on May 14.
The Reds already have one foot in the Champions League final with a 2-0 win against Villarreal in the first leg.
Jurgen Klopp's side have also maintained the pressure on Manchester City in the Premier League title race. However, the title remains the Cityzens' to lose as they have managed to maintain a one-point lead over the Reds with four games to go.
