Liverpool came back from behind to sink the Yellow Submarines at El Madrigal.
Liverpool defeated Villarreal 3-2 in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Wednesday. The Reds pulled off a brilliant second-half performance to reach the UCL final with a 5-2 win on aggregate.
The quadruple dream lives on! 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Villarreal shocked the guests with an early opener from Boulaye Dia in the third minute. The Yellow Submarines completely dominated the game early on as Liverpool struggled to find their feet at El Madrigal.
The hosts continued their efforts to score the aggregate equalizer and finally managed to do so through Francis Coquelin’s header in the 41st minute.
Having ended the first half on a perfect note, Villarreal tried to defend their way into the second period to protect their precious equalizer.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bring in Luis Diaz for Digo Jota suddenly created overwhelming problems for Villarreal’s defence line.
The Reds took control of the game as soon as the second half started. Following a few missed chances, Fabinho converted Mohamed Salah’s assist to make it 2-1 in the 62nd minute.
Only four minutes later, Luis Diaz completed his brilliant performance by scoring the equalizer for the Reds. An inch-perfect cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold found Diaz, who smashed the ball behind Geronimo Rulli with a powerful header.
Villarreal tried to get back into the game by controlling the possession inside Liverpool’s half. But that only provided the Reds with more chances to increase their lead.
Following a quick counter-attack in the 74th minute, Sadio Mane converted the one-on-one situation with a cool dribble-and-finish to complete his side’s brilliant comeback.
Liverpool had several chances to double their lead, but they settled for a 3-2 win against the Yellow Submarines.
What’s next for Liverpool?
Liverpool will play against the winner of Manchester City’s tie against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The two sides will face off in Madrid tomorrow, with City being 4-3 ahead on aggregate.
For now, however, the Reds must shift their focus toward the Premier League, where they have to host Tottenham on Saturday.
Player Ratings
Villarreal: Rulli (4); Foyth (5), Albiol (5), P. Torres (5), Estupinan (6); Lo Celso (6), Capoue (7), Parejo (6), Coquelin (8); Moreno (6), Dia (7).
Bench: Aurier (6), Trigueros (6), Alcacer (5), Pedraza (6), Chukwueze (5).
Liverpool: Alisson (6); Alexander-Arnold (7), Konate (7), Van Dijk (7), Robertson (6); Keita (7), Fabinho (8), Thiago (6); Salah (7), Jota (5), Mane (8).
Bench: Jones (6), Milner (6), Tsimikas (7), Diaz (6), Henderson (8).
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