Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal: the Reds came from two goals down to win at Anfield on Tuesday night. The result gives them three wins from three in this season’s Champions League league phase and nine points. The match report on the club’s own website describes a rainy night at Anfield. The visitors made the early running before Andoni Iraola watched his side take over.
Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal: visitors go 2-0 up before the half-hour
Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal the lead when Virgil van Dijk misplaced a header back to Alisson Becker. Sergi Cardona made it 2-0 on the half-hour with the finish to a slick counter-attack. Liverpool had plenty of possession and territory up to that point. But the club’s report says visiting goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was largely untroubled.
Mac Allister and Araujo level it before the break
The Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal comeback began on 36 minutes. Alexis Mac Allister met a Kostas Tsimikas corner and glanced a header into the far corner. Liverpool drew level right at the end of the half. Ronald Araujo nodded in a cross from Rio Ngumoha at the back post. By then the right side of the Liverpool attack was giving Villarreal plenty to think about, with Ngumoha at its heart.
Two goals in three minutes after the interval
The Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal turnaround gathered pace after the break. Gulacsi had to deny Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz before the third goal arrived. Ngumoha skipped away from a couple of challenges and set up Mac Allister. He timed his run well and finished from close range off the crossbar. Three minutes later Wirtz found the bottom corner after collecting a pass from Gakpo to make it 4-2.
Ayoze Perez hit the post for Villarreal. Tani Oluwaseyi pulled one back with a back-post volley with a few minutes left. But Liverpool saw the game out in front of a crowd of 59,610 to seal the Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal comeback win. Iraola made six changes to his side. Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni formed the midfield, with Tsimikas, Gakpo, Lewis Koumas and Ngumoha also starting. Wirtz replaced Araujo at half-time.
