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Liverpool welcomed Villarreal to Anfield for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final clash on Wednesday night (27 April).
The visitors maintained their shape and held firm in the first half, but the hosts’ attacking quality ultimately shone through in the second 45. Banking on Pervis Estupinan's own goal and Sadio Mane’s neat finish, Jurgen Klopp’s side cruised to a 2-0 win on Merseyside. The second leg will be played at the Estadio de la Cerámica next Tuesday (3 May).
As expected, the Reds started the game on the front foot and got their first big chance inside the opening quarter. Mohamed Salah's clever chip found Mane inside the box, but the Senegalese failed to keep his header on target. A minute later, Luis Diaz went for goal with a curler, drawing a fine save out of Villarreal keeper Geronimo Rulli.
In the 27th minute, Salah cut in from the right and went for a curling effort. His strike missed Rulli’s goal, taking as the Yellow Submarine heaved a sigh of relief. Three minutes before the break, Thiago Alcantara tried his luck from distance and was unluckily denied by the crossbar.
Liverpool midfielder Fabinho then put the ball into the back of the net five minutes into the second half, but it was ruled out for offside. Three minutes later, the ball once again found the back of Villarreal’s net, and this time, the goal stood. Jordan Henderson’s cross from the right took a slight deflection off Estupinan, but it was enough to confuse and beat Rulli at the far post.
Two minutes later, Salah split the Villarreal defense open with a through ball, and Mane applied a poacher’s finish to double the home team's advantage. The Merseysiders kept pushing for a third, but Unai Emery’s side managed to keep them at bay.
It was a convincing outing by the six-time Champions League winners, one that puts them in a comfortable position for next week’s return leg.
Here are five Liverpool stars who turned up to get an encouraging first-leg victory on Wednesday night:
#5 Luis Diaz
January signing Luis Diaz has hit the ground running at Liverpool. He is a hard worker, is not fazed by the gleaming floodlights at Anfield, and is certainly not shy about showing off his moves.
The Colombian international has become a favorite in this part of Merseyside, and deservedly so.
On Wednesday night, Diaz produced another reassuring performance for the Reds. He tore through the right side of Villarreal time and again, cutting in and creating goalscoring opportunities.
Diaz, who completed two of three attempted dribbles, tested Rulli thrice with his shots, played two key passes and won three duels.
Although the former Porto star lost possession 17 times, his ingenious first touches more than made up for those lapses. Divock Origi replaced him in the 81st minute.
#4 Sadio Mane
AFCON winner and Senegal’s World Cup qualification hero, Sadio Mane, added another feather to his cap on Wednesday, scoring a Champions League semi-final goal for Liverpool.
Having missed a great chance to score from Salah’s cross in the first half, Mane made amends with a neat finish in the second. Latching on to the Egyptian’s defense piercing through ball, Mane toe-poked the ball past an onrushing Geronimo Rulli.
The Senegalese also won a couple of duels, played a key pass, and attempted a tackle.
A neat outing by Klopp’s trusted stalwart, who made way for Diogo Jota in the 73rd minute.
#3 Jordan Henderson
Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson may not be as sprightly as he once was, but the Englishman can still produce convincing performances when needed.
Last night, Henderson was back to his best, making excellent passes, winning his duels, and tackling without a worry in the world.
Additionally, he was the man behind the Reds’ second-half opener. It was his cross that took a deflection off Estupinan and beat Rulli’s resistance.
Against Villarreal, the 31-year-old England international completed 47 passes with 87 percent accuracy, won four of five ground duels, and attempted four tackles.
Having done his duty, Henderson came off for Naby Keita in the 72nd minute.
#2 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah was full of confidence against Villarreal on Wednesday night. Operating on the right flank, the Egypt international kept the defenders on their toes all night long, always making inroads into the box.
The forward did not manage to get a shot on target, but he had four shots, one of which flew narrowly over the bar.
The 29-year-old also created Liverpool’s second goal of the night, playing an inch-perfect through ball for Sadio Mane. The way he evaded challenges from Villarreal defenders to execute a slide-rule pass for the Senegalese was a thing of beauty.
Salah completed 25 passes with 83.3 percent accuracy, played two key passes, and created two big chances that went begging.
He also won a couple of duels and drew a foul.
#1 Thiago Alcantara
Over the course of their history, Liverpool have had the privilege of fielding many world-class midfielders. Thiago Alcantara is the freshest name to be added to that exclusive list of elites.
On Wednesday night, the former Bayern Munich midfielder produced another masterclass in distribution and movement, leaving Villarreal out of sorts and on their knees.
He set the tempo, created a tasty concoction of long and short passes, intercepted passes, and used a clever feint to create the Reds’ opener.
Against the Yellow Submarine, Thiago completed 99 passes with 96.1 percent accuracy, accurately delivered all nine long balls, intercepted five passes, and won three duels.
He also went for a long-ranger in the 42nd minute, only to be unluckily denied by the left post of Villarreal’s goal.
