Down 2-0 inside 30 minutes and staring at their first Champions League defeat of the season, Liverpool turned the match completely on its head at Anfield on Tuesday, coming from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 in the league stage. Mac Allister scored twice, Ngumoha set up two goals before being substituted in the 74th minute, and a second-half blitz from three goals to one gave Andoni Iraola’s side a result that, according to liverpoolfc.com, completed a remarkable fightback. Tani Oluwaseyi’s 87th-minute strike made it nervy at the end, but Liverpool held on to move to nine points from three games.
Key Moments
- 4′, Mikautadze put Villarreal ahead with a composed finish early on, giving the visitors a dream start at Anfield.
- 29′, Sergi Cardona doubled Villarreal’s lead, converting an assist from Saliba to make it 2-0 and put Liverpool in serious trouble.
- 36′, Mac Allister pulled one back for Liverpool, finishing from a Tsimikas delivery to give the hosts a foothold before the break.
- 45′, Araújo headed Liverpool level from a Ngumoha cross right on the stroke of half time, then was substituted at the interval with Wirtz coming on.
- 65′, Mac Allister completed his brace, again assisted by Ngumoha, to put Liverpool ahead for the first time at 3-2.
- 68′, Wirtz extended the lead to 4-2 within minutes of the third, converting from a Gakpo pass to seemingly put the game to bed.
- 87′, Oluwaseyi pulled one back for Villarreal, assisted by Ayoze Pérez, to set up a tense finish. Liverpool survived.
Tactical Breakdown
Liverpool finished with 53 percent possession and 22 shots to Villarreal’s 14, generating an expected goals figure of 2.41 against the visitors’ 1.59. Those numbers flattered neither side in the first half, when Villarreal’s directness caused repeated problems against a Liverpool backline that took time to settle. The hosts’ 14 shots inside the box and seven corners in the second half told a different story once they found their rhythm.
The turning point was largely halftime. Iraola sent Wirtz on for the injured-looking Araújo, and the German midfielder scored within 23 minutes of entering the field. Before that, Mac Allister’s second goal at 65 minutes, set up by Ngumoha cutting through the Villarreal shape, changed the game’s momentum decisively. Ngumoha, operating as an advanced midfielder, provided both of his assists before being taken off at 74 minutes, his work essentially done.
For Villarreal, the collapse between the 65th and 68th minutes, conceding twice in three minutes after working so hard to stay in the match, was the wound they could not recover from. Their substitutions brought some energy, and Ayoze Pérez’s assist for Oluwaseyi in the 87th minute showed they never stopped trying, but the structural decision to sit off after going 2-0 up cost them dearly as Liverpool found space through the midfield.
Player Ratings
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Verdict
Liverpool sit second in the Champions League league stage table with nine points from three games, level with Paris Saint Germain at the top, and their place in the top eight looks strong. For Villarreal, ranked 19th with three points from three matches, the defeat leaves them in the bottom half of the standings with work still to do in the weeks ahead. A seven-goal evening at Anfield that was anything but straightforward, but three points is three points for Iraola’s side.