Champions League 2021-2022 Semi-Final 1st Leg - Liverpool 2:0 Villarreal Match Report

MATCH DETAILS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - SEMI FINAL 1ST LEG WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022
LIVERPOOL FC	KICK OFF - 20:00pm	VILLARREAL FC
	2:0 Half-Time 0:0
VENUE Anfield. Liverpool	SHIRT WORN HOME	LIVE ON BT Sports

MATCH REPORT

Liverpool produced a powerful performance to defeat Villarreal 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at Anfield.

Just as was the case in the Merseyside derby a few days earlier, patience was required for the Reds, who eventually made their dominance count with two goals in the space of two minutes in the early stages of the second half.

First, Jordan Henderson’s cross looped in via a deflection off Pervis Estupinan, before Sadio Mane prodded past Geronimo Rulli to leave Anfield in raptures.

Fabinho and Andy Robertson also saw goals ruled out for offside during another authoritative display from Jürgen Klopp’s side, who will take a commanding lead into next week’s second leg in Spain.

Team news

Ibrahima Konate, Henderson and Luis Diaz returned to the starting XI, with Joel Matip, Naby Keita and Diogo Jota dropping down to the bench.

First half

Powered by a noise befitting the occasion, Liverpool were immediately on the front foot.

Superb link-up between Mohamed Salah and Mane fashioned the Reds’ first sight of goal, but Mane was unable to readjust his body to direct Salah’s cross goalwards.

Diaz was his usual effervescent self and a raiding run inside by the Colombian preceded a fierce low drive that was gathered at the second attempt by Geronimo Rulli.

Villarreal could barely get out of their half and Salah arced a first-time curler over the crossbar before Raul Albiol scrambled to deflect Mane’s volley narrowly wide.

The pressure was unrelenting, and Salah was next to be thwarted by a last-ditch block before the No.11 volleyed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wondrous first-time cross over the bar.

And, just before half-time, Thiago Alcantara went within a whisker of scoring one of the great Anfield European goals as the playmaker crashed a stunning 30-yarder off the angle of post and bar.

Second half

There was to be no respite for Villarreal once the tie resumed and Fabinho appeared to have broken their resistance when he converted Virgil van Dijk’s knockdown, only for the offside flag to be raised.

However, the persistence of Klopp’s team would finally be rewarded eight minutes into the second period.

There was an element of fortune about the opener as Henderson’s cross, seeking Diaz, nicked off Estupinan and deceived Rulli.

Liverpool and Anfield smelled blood and there was no luck involved as the lead was doubled just a couple of minutes later, when a probing sequence concluded with Salah threading a pass into Mane and the No.10 poking his finish beyond Rulli.

Villarreal were on the ropes and, fresh from his derby goal, Robertson had the ball in the net again, but he had strayed offside prior to volleying home from another sensational Alexander-Arnold delivery.

The tempo dropped slightly thereafter, although there was still time for Van Dijk to sting Rulli’s palms from range and Diaz to see an attempt deflect just wide.

The hosts’ work was done, however, and they are now well placed to reach a third Champions League final in five seasons.

Champions League 2021-2022 Semi-Final 2nd Leg - Villarreal 2:3 Liverpool Match Report

MATCH DETAILS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - SEMI FINAL 2nd LEG TUESDAY 3RD MAY 2022
VILLARREAL FC	KICK OFF - 20:00pm	LIVERPOOL FC
	2:3 Half-Time 2:0
VENUE Estadio de la Caramica	SHIRT WORN HOME	LIVE ON BT Sports

MATCH REPORT

Liverpool produced a stunning second-half comeback to defeat Villarreal 3-2 and advance to the Champions League final.

Goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane saw the Reds recover from a 2-0 half-time deficit in Tuesday’s semi-final second leg at Estadio de la Ceramica and progress 5-2 on aggregate.

Villarreal cancelled out Jürgen Klopp’s side’s first-leg advantage courtesy of Boulaye Dia’s early strike and Francis Coquelin’s header, but the visitors emerged for the second period a different team, with half-time substitute Diaz in inspired form.

The Reds will now face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in Paris in the third Champions League final of Klopp’s glorious reign.

Team news

Klopp made five changes to his starting line-up as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Mohamed Salah returned.

The players to make way - Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Diaz - were all named on the bench.

First half

The raucous atmosphere inside the stadium was ratcheted up further when the hosts made a dream start through Dia, who was on hand to convert Etienne Capoue’s unselfish lay-off from a cross into the area.

Roared on, Villarreal looked to capitalise further on their early ascendancy and Andy Robertson was required to make a block to repel Gerard Moreno’s back-post header.

Liverpool navigated their way through a testing spell without sustaining any more damage, though, and offered a warning of their threat when Salah outmuscled Pervis Estupian and found Diogo Jota, only for the No.20’s touch to let him down as he bore down on goal.

Vociferous Villarreal appeals for a penalty - after Alisson Becker dived at the feet of Giovani Lo Celso as the Argentinian tried to round him - were waved away, but Emery’s team would wipe out the Reds’ aggregate lead four minutes before the break.

Capoue crossed from the byline and Coquelin climbed above Alexander-Arnold at the back post to direct his header into the top corner and prompt another explosion of noise from the jubilant home fans.

Second half

Liverpool’s level of performance was markedly improved Immediately after the restart with half-time substitute Diaz, stationed on the left, a constant menace.

A trademark cross-field pass by Alexander-Arnold located the Colombian and, once the ball had been worked back to the right-back, he produced a fine cross that Geronimo Rulli unconvincingly punched away.

Alexander-Arnold then saw a deflected shot loop onto the top of the crossbar before Diaz miscalculated a bicycle kick.

It felt like a matter of time until a Reds goal arrived and so it proved, as a patient, probing sequence of passing concluded with Salah’s pass inviting Fabinho to shoot or cross from a tight angle.

He chose the former and his low drive squirmed through Rulli to restore Liverpool’s aggregate lead.

Diaz saw a shot deflect off the outside of the post but the No.23 was not to be denied the goal his display merited as he nodded Alexander-Arnold’s left-footed delivery in to provide a cushion for the visitors.

There was only one team in it now and the comeback was completed with 16 minutes remaining.

The relentless Mane poked the ball past the onrushing Rulli and then kept his cool to calmly slot home the Reds’ third of the evening and rubber-stamp their progress.

With the tie won, Klopp rang the changes from the bench and Villarreal discipline began to waver, as Pau Torres was booked for scything Mane down before Capoue was sent off for a second yellow card.

Salah could have crowned the evening with another goal, but the No.11 shot wide after being fed by Mane. However, the job was done and another Champions League final beckons.

Champions League 2021-2022 Semi-Final 2nd Leg - Villarreal 2:3 Liverpool Match Stats

MATCH DETAILS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - SEMI FINAL 2nd LEG TUESDAY 3RD MAY 2022
VILLARREAL FC	KICK OFF - 20:00pm	LIVERPOOL FC
	2:3 Half-Time 2:0
VENUE Estadio de la Caramica	SHIRT WORN HOME	LIVE ON BT Sports

GOALS
4'	1:0	Boulaye Dia, right footed shot  Assist: Etienne Capoue,
41'	2:0	Francis Coquelin, header  Assist: Etienne Capoue,
62'	2:1	Fabinho, right footed shot, 1. goal of the season  Assist: Mohamed Salah, pass, 2. assist of the season
67'	2:2	Luis Diaz, header, 2. goal of the season  Assist: Trent Alexander-Arnold, pass, 3. assist of the season
74'	2:3	Sadio Mane, left footed shot, 5. goal of the season  Assist: no assist,

LINE-UPS
13	Gerónimo Rulli		1	Alisson
3	Raúl Albiol		4	Virgil van Dijk
4	Pau Torres		5	Ibrahima Konaté
8	Juan Foyth		26	Andrew Robertson
12	Pervis Estupiñán		66	Trent Alexander-Arnold
5	Dani Parejo		3	Fabinho
6	Étienne Capoue		6	Thiago
17	Giovani Lo Celso		8	Naby Keïta
19	Francis Coquelin		10	Sadio Mané
7	Gerard Moreno		11	Mo Salah
16	Boulaye Dia		20	Diogo Jota

SUBSTITUTES
1	Asenjo		62	Caoimhin Kelleher
35	Filip Jörgensen		12	Joe Gomez
2	Mario Gaspar		21	Kostas Tsimikas
20	Rubén Peña		32	Joel Matip
22	Aïssa Mandi		7	James Milner
24	Pedraza		14	Jordan Henderson
25	Serge Aurier		15	Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
10	Iborra		17	Curtis Jones
14	Trigueros		18	Takumi Minamino
23	Moi Gómez		23	Luis Díaz
9	Paco Alcácer		27	Divock Origi
11	Samuel Chukwueze		67	Harvey Elliott

SUBSTITUTIONS
45'	Diogo Jota, Tactical,   Luis Diaz,
68'	Francis Coquelin, Tactical,   Pedraza,
68'	Gerard Moreno, Tactical,   Pedraza,
79'	Pervis Estupinan, Tactical,   Trigueros,
79'	Raul Albiol, Tactical,   Serge Aurier,
79'	Boulaye Dia, Tactical,   Paco Alcacer,
80'	Naby Keita, Tactical,   Jordan Henderson,
80'	Thiago, Tactical,   Curtis Jones,
80'	Andrew Robertson, Tactical,   Kostas Tsimikas,
84'	Fabinho, Tactical,   James Milner,

MANAGER: Unai Emery

MANAGER: Jurgen Klopp

Stadium	Anfield. Estadio de la Ceramica 23,500
Attendance	21,872
Referee	Danny Makkelie NED
Referee Assistant	Hessel Steegstra NED / Jan de Vries NED
Fourth Official	Serdar Gözübüyük NED
VAR Referee	Pol van Boekel NED
VAR Assistant	Dennis Higler NED

VILLARREAL	STATS	LIVERPOOL
ATTACKING
2	Goals	3
5	Total Shots	15
0	Woodwork Hit	0
2	Shots on Target	5
2	Shots off Target	6
1	Blocked Shots	4
40.00%	Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)	33.33%
GENERAL PLAY
43.9%	Possession %	56.10%
524	Touches	629
69.00%	Pass Success %	75.00%
336	Total Passes	428
232	Accurate Passes	323
4	Key Passes	13
6	Dribbles Won	11
14	Dribbles attempted	17
11	Dribbles passed	6
43.00%	Dribble Success %	65.00%
DEFENCE & DISCIPLINE
18	Aerials Won	20
47.00%	Aerials Won %	53.00%
22	Offensive Aerials	16
16	Defensive Aerials	22
13	Successful Tackles	15
24	Tackles Attempted	21
11	Was Dribbled	6
54.00%	Tackle Success %	71.00%
15	Clearances	23
5	Interceptions	10
1	Corners	2
100.00%	Corner Accuracy %	100.00%
7	Dispossessed	7
3	Errors	0
18	Fouls	14
5	Offsides	4

Champions League 2021-2022 Semi-Final 1st Leg - Liverpool 2:0 Villarreal Match Stats

MATCH DETAILS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - SEMI FINAL 1ST LEG WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022
LIVERPOOL FC	KICK OFF - 20:00pm	VILLARREAL FC
	2:0 Half-Time 0:0
VENUE Anfield. Liverpool	SHIRT WORN HOME	LIVE ON BT Sports

GOALS
53'	1:0	Pervis Estupinan, own goal  Assist: no assist,
55'	2:0	Sadio Mane, right footed shot, 4. goal of the season  Assist: Mohamed Salah, pass, 1. assist of the season

LINE-UPS
1	Alisson		13	Gerónimo Rulli
4	Virgil van Dijk		3	Raúl Albiol
5	Ibrahima Konaté		4	Pau Torres
26	Andrew Robertson		8	Juan Foyth
66	Trent Alexander-Arnold		12	Pervis Estupiñán
3	Fabinho		5	Dani Parejo
6	Thiago		6	Étienne Capoue
14	Jordan Henderson		17	Giovani Lo Celso
10	Sadio Mané		19	Francis Coquelin
11	Mo Salah		11	Samuel Chukwueze
23	Luis Díaz		15	Arnaut Danjuma

SUBSTITUTES
13	Adrián		1	Asenjo
62	Caoimhin Kelleher		35	Filip Jörgensen
12	Joe Gomez		2	Mario Gaspar
32	Joel Matip		20	Rubén Peña
46	Rhys Williams		22	Aïssa Mandi
7	James Milner		24	Pedraza
8	Naby Keïta		25	Serge Aurier
15	Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain		10	Iborra
18	Takumi Minamino		14	Trigueros
20	Diogo Jota		23	Moi Gómez
27	Divock Origi		9	Paco Alcácer
67	Harvey Elliott		16	Boulaye Dia

SUBSTITUTIONS
57'	Francis Coquelin, Tactical,   Alfonso Pedraza
72'	Daniel Parejo, Tactical,   Serge Aurier
72'	Trigueros, Tactical,   Pervis Estupinan
72'	Boulaye Dia, Tactical,   Samuel Chukwueze
72'	Jordan Henderson, Tactical,   Naby Keita
73'	Sadio Mane, Tactical,   Diogo Jota
81'	Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tactical,   Joe Gomez
81'	Luis Diaz, Tactical,   Divock Origi
86'	Arnaut Danjuma, Tactical,   Paco Alcacer

MANAGER: Jurgen Klopp

MANAGER: Unai Emery

Stadium	Anfield. Liverpool: Capacity 53,394
Attendance	51,586
Referee	Szymon Marciniak POL
Referee Assistant	Paweł Sokolnicki POL / Tomasz Listkiewicz POL
Fourth Official	Slavko Vinčić SVN
VAR Referee	Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL
VAR Assistant	Bartosz Frankowski POL

LIVERPOOL	STATS	VILLARREAL
ATTACKING
2	Goals	0
19	Total Shots	1
1	Woodwork Hit	0
5	Shots on Target	0
8	Shots off Target	1
6	Blocked Shots	0
26.32%	Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)	100.0%
GENERAL PLAY
73.9%	Possession %	26.1%
931	Touches	440
89.0%	Pass Success %	65.0%
735	Total Passes	263
652	Accurate Passes	172
17	Key Passes	1
7	Dribbles Won	4
13	Dribbles attempted	12
4	Dribbles passed	7
54.0%	Dribble Success %	33.0%
DEFENCE & DISCIPLINE
12	Aerials Won	6
67.0%	Aerials Won %	33.0%
10	Offensive Aerials	8
8	Defensive Aerials	10
18	Successful Tackles	17
22	Tackles Attempted	24
4	Was Dribbled	7
82.0%	Tackle Success %	71.0%
4	Clearances	35
14	Interceptions	5
10	Corners	2
50.0%	Corner Accuracy %	0.0%
11	Dispossessed	10
0	Errors	0
8	Fouls	7
4	Offsides	3

Europa League 2015-2016 Semi-Final 2nd Leg - Liverpool 3:0 Villarreal Match Stats

MATCH STATS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

Thursday 5th May 2016, Europa League, Semi Final 2nd Leg
Liverpool	Kick Off - 20:05pm	Villarreal
	3:0 Half Time 1:0

Goals
1:0	Bruno Soriano / own goal
2:0	Daniel Sturridge / left footed shot assisted by Firmino
3:0	Adam Lallana / left footed shot assisted by Sturridge

Line-Ups
22	Simon Mignolet		13	Alphonse Areola
2	Nathaniel Clyne		2	Mario Gaspar
4	Kolo Toure		5	Mateo Musacchio
6	Dejan Lovren		6	Victor Ruiz
18	Alberto Moreno		11	Jaume Costa
23	Emre Can		8	J Dos Santos
7	James Milner		4	Tomas Pina
20	Adam Lallana		21	Bruno Soriano
10	Philippe Coutinho  /td>		18	Denis Suarez
11	Roberto Firmino		9	Roberto Soldado
15	Daniel Sturridge		17	Cedric Bakambu

Substitutes

Substitues

52	Danny Ward		1	Sergio Asenjo
37	Martin Skrtel		7	Samu
44	Brad Smith		14	Manu Trigueros
24	Joe Allen		19	Samuel Castillejo
21	Lucas Leiva		20	Adrian Lopez
33	Jordon Ibe		22	Antonio Rukavina
9	Christian Benteke		23	Daniele Bonera

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Manager: Marcelino

Stadium	Anfield, Liverpool
Attendance	43,074
Referee	Viktor Kassai (HUN)
Referee Assistants	György Ring (HUN), Vencel Tóth (HUN)
VAR	Peter Berettyán (HUN)
VAR Assistants	Tamás Bognar (HUN),Ádám Farkas (HUN)

Liverpool	Position	Villarreal
Attacking Stats
3	Goals	0
25	Total Shots (inc blocked shots)	6
12	Shots on Target	2
7	Blocked Shots	2
10	Shots from outside the box	0
15	Shots from inside the box	6
66.7%	Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)	50%
0	Woodwork Hit	0
General Play
59.5%	Possession %	40.5%
53.2%	Duels Won %	46.8%
53.1%	Aerial Duels Won %	46.9%
17	Interceptions	13
12	Dribbles	6
3	Offsides	1
11	Corners	3
Distribution
542	Total Passes	368
15.1%	% of Passes Long	18.8%
84.3%	Passing Accuaracy %	75%
79.3%	Passing Accuracy opp Half %	67.6%
29	Total Crosses	11
13.8%	Successful Crosses %	27.3%
Defence & Discipline
22	Tackles	19
90.9%	Tackles Won %	63.2%
14	Clearances	26
11	Fouls Conceded	7
1	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	1

Europa League 2015-2016 Semi-Final 2nd Leg - Liverpool 3:0 Villarreal Match Report

MATCH STATS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

Thursday 5th May 2016, Europa League, Semi Final 2nd Leg
Liverpool	Kick Off - 20:05pm	Villarreal
	3:0 Half Time 1:0

Match Report

Liverpool will contest the 2015-16 Europa League final after another famous European night at Anfield saw them defeat Villarreal 3-0 (3-1 on aggregate) to book a trip to Basel later this month.

Backed by a typically vociferous home crowd, the Reds overturned the 1-0 deficit the Yellow Submarine carved out in Spain to secure a place in the 12th European final in the club's history.

The pressure told in the early moments, as Daniel Sturridge forced Bruno Soriano to turn into his own net at the Kop end, to bring the tie level on aggregate.

Liverpool continued their relentless approach in the second period, and sealed progression from the semi-finals with goals from Sturridge and Adam Lallana to cap a magnificent performance.

As expected, Jürgen Klopp shuffled his pack with his side back in European action, making seven changes to the XI that started against Swansea City at the weekend.

Sturridge was one of few to retain his place as he was given the nod to lead the line, while Emre Can made a surprise return from injury to claim a spot in midfield.

With the Anfield crowd in sparkling form after a moving rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' dedicated to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster, the Reds had little choice but to make an authoritative start.

And they almost profited from Alphonse Areola's early spill before the goalkeeper recovered to claim a dangerous Sturridge cross as the hosts threatened.

Marcelino's men responded well to that pressure, with Mario Gaspar forcing a low save from Simon Mignolet after an intelligent knock down from Roberto Soldado and Jonathan dos Santos firing over after the ball broke somewhat fortuitously to him.

Unfortunately for Villarreal, those chances only seemed to tease even more from Liverpool and their buoyant support and, shortly after, the hosts were ahead.

Can showed quick feet to work space before feeding Nathaniel Clyne on the right, and the full-back's low cross proved too hot to handle for the diving Areola.

Roberto Firmino was there to pick up the scraps for the Reds and his bouncing cross was subsequently turned home by Sturridge, courtesy of a helpful deflection off Bruno.

That lead was so nearly doubled in the mad scramble that followed, with James Milner firing in a sensational low pass for Adam Lallana.

However, the No.20 could not make significant contact to turn the ball home for what would have been a great goal.

The captain created another fine chance with a whipped corner delivery soon after, but Tomas Pina was on hand to turn a flick-on behind to save Villarreal.

The half ended in somewhat ill-tempered circumstances with both Soldado and Clyne going in the book for 'enthusiastic' challenges, and there was still time for the visitors to carve out the last opportunity of a thrilling 45 minutes.

It fell to Cedric Bakambu, who rushed in behind to fire in an effort, but Mignolet was there again to foil the forward.

The Congolese was in again just seconds after the restart, meeting Soldado's clever header into the box, but Dejan Lovren produced a sensational sliding challenge to get the ball.

As had happened in the first half, the Reds quickly recovered, with Philippe Coutinho stinging Areola's palms from close range before Milner couldn't get enough power on a left-footer from the edge of the box.

The contest settled down after the initial rush of the second period, but Liverpool's patience only stretched as far as the hour mark.

It was at that point that a brilliant exchange between Sturridge and Adam Lallana set to the former away to bring a save from Areola after a stepover and a right-footed shot.

Klopp's team kept piling the pressure on after that chance, and were rewarded when the tireless Firmino kept the ball alive and saw a left-footed volley deflected into the path of Sturridge in the box.

The No.15 may have been somewhat fortunate to receive the ball in such circumstances, but there was nothing lucky about the typically ruthless low finish that followed.

With 20 minutes remaining, things went from bad to worse for Villarreal, as a poor challenge at the edge of the box from Victor Ruiz saw him pick up a second yellow card and his marching orders.

The Spaniards refused to give up, but their numerical disadvantage was always going to tell - and so it proved in the 80th minute.

Firmino did brilliantly to get past his man and to the byline in the box and, though Sturridge couldn't send the cutback home, Lallana was on hand with a fine improvised finish to get the job done.

Europa League 2015-2016 Semi-Final 1st Leg - Villarreal 1:0 Liverpool Match Stats

MATCH STATS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

Thursday 28th April 2016, Europa League, Semi Final 1st Leg
Villarreal	Kick Off - 20:05pm	Liverpool
	1:0 Half Time 0:0

Goals
1:0	90' Adrian / right footed shot assisted by Suarez

Line-Ups
1	Sergio Asenjo		22	Simon Mignolet
2	Mario Gaspar		2	Nathaniel Clyne
4	Tomas Pina		4	Kolo Toure
6	Victor Ruiz		6	Dejan Lovren
8	J Dos Santos		18	Alberto Moreno
9	Roberto Soldado		21	Lucas Leiva
11	Jaume Costa		24	Joe Allen
17	Cedric Bakambu		7	James Milner
18	Denis Suarez		10	Philippe Coutinho
21	Bruno Soriano		20	Adam Lallana
24	Eric Bailly		11	Roberto Firmino

Substitutes

Substitues

13	Alphonse Areola		52	Danny Ward
5	Mateo Musacchio		37	Martin Skrtel
7	Samu		44	Brad Smith
14	Manu Trigueros		33	Jordon Ibe
19	Samuel Castillejo  72'		68	Pedro Chirivella
20	Adrian Lopez		9	Christian Benteke
22	Antonio Rukavina		15	Daniel Sturridge

Manager: Marcelino

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Stadium	Estadio El Madrigal
Attendance	16,000
Referee	Damir Skomina (SVN)
Referee Assistants	Jure Praprotnik (SVN), Robert Vukan (SVN)
VAR	Bojan Ul (SVN)
VAR Assistants	Matej Jug (SVN), Slavko Vinčić (SVN)

Villarreal	Position	Liverpool
Attacking Stats
1	Goals	0
9	Total Shots (inc blocked shots)	14
3	Shots on Target	3
2	Blocked Shots	4
3	Shots from outside the box	8
6	Shots from inside the box	6
42.9%	Shot Accuracy (excluding blocked shots)	30%
1	Woodwork Hit	1
General Play
45.8%	Possession %	54.2%
50.4%	Duels Won %	49.6%
50%	Aerial Duels Won %	50%
14	Interceptions	25
17	Dribbles	7
0	Offsides	4
7	Corners	3
Distribution
470	Total Passes	558
11.9%	% of Passes Long	10%
80%	Passing Accuaracy %	84.4%
68.9%	Passing Accuracy opp Half %	80.8%
21	Total Crosses	24
19%	Successful Crosses %	8.3%
Defence & Discipline
16	Tackles	24
50%	Tackles Won %	91.7%
21	Clearances	23
7	Fouls Conceded	7
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Europa League 2015-2016 Semi-Final 1st Leg - Villarreal 1:0 Liverpool Match Report

MATCH STATS

MATCH REPORT

HEAD TO HEAD

Thursday 28th April 2016, Europa League, Semi Final 1st Leg
Villarreal	Kick Off - 20:05pm	Liverpool
	1:0 Half Time 0:0

Match Report

Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat to Villarreal in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final in Spain on Thursday night courtesy of a last-gasp strike from Adrian Lopez at El Madrigal.

The substitute scored right at the end of a contest which had been dominated for long periods by the Reds when he swept in Denis Suarez’s pass across goal when one-on-one with Simon Mignolet.

It means Liverpool will need to beat the La Liga side at Anfield in next week’s return leg if they’re to progress to the final in Basel.

The key points…

Bakambu hit outside the post with early second-half header

Firmino shot pushed onto woodwork by Asenjo in best Reds chance

Substitute Lopez netted with just seconds left to secure win for hosts

The team news…

Jürgen Klopp made three changes for the fixture as Nathaniel Clyne, Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Leiva returned. Roberto Firmino was tasked with leading the attack, with Daniel Sturridge on the bench as well as the fit-again Christian Benteke.

The first half…

Despite the prize at stake over the course of the two legs, there was no tentative opening to the contest in front of a lively sold-out crowd at El Madrigal.

Indeed, Jonathan Dos Santos tested Mignolet early on with a long-range effort; however, it was the Reds who should have taken the lead with five minutes played.

Adam Lallana’s cross into the middle was deflected into the path of Joe Allen’s run from deep into the area. The Welshman elected to sweep goalwards first time, but it was straight at Sergio Asenjo and the ‘keeper was able to save.

The pace of the contest remained high and soon after, former Spurs striker Roberto Soldado threatened when he latched onto a quickly-taken free-kick and bounced a half-volley across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

Lucas and Lallana both then watched efforts fly wide of target from outside the box, before Tomas Pina’s powerful low drive was thwarted by the palm of Mignolet.

Next, a magnificent block from Dejan Lovren inside the box foiled Mario Gaspar after his initially-attempted cross had been deflected back into his path in a dangerous position before Soldado clipped one just wide of the upright from distance, ending an entertaining first half without a goal.

The second half…

Liverpool made a change at the break with Jordon Ibe replacing Coutinho – and they nearly found themselves behind within a minute as Cedric Bakambu glanced a header against the outside of the post from a corner.

The visitors were dominating the ball, however, and on 65 minutes carved open their best chance of the game.

James Milner’s disguised pass picked out the unmarked Firmino inside the box, and he swivelled before crashing a shot towards the near bottom corner, but Asenjo was able to get a glove to it and push the ball onto the base of the post.

The Reds continued to probe in search of an away goal to take back to Anfield, but had Mignolet to thank for producing a stunning save to deny Bakambu with just minutes remaining when the Villarreal striker surged into the area.

At the other end, Alberto Moreno demonstrated exceptional speed to race more than half the length of the pitch, but he could only blast wide of the top corner.

And it was a night that was to ultimately end in frustration for Liverpool as Lopez applied the finishing touch to a counter-attack to give Villarreal the advantage at the halfway stage of the tie.