Villarreal left Anfield beaten but far from diminished after a breathless Champions League night in which Liverpool overturned a two-goal deficit before the Spanish side found one last surge of belief. The final score was 4-3 to Liverpool, yet Villarreal had shown enough in the opening hour and in their late response to underline a growing European resilience.
In drizzle and winter coats around Anfield, Iñigo Pérez stood on the touchline in short sleeves, an image in keeping with Villarreal’s unflinching start. They settled quickly amid the noise and were handed early opportunities by an unusually uncertain Virgil van Dijk. Mikautadze failed to take the first, then punished a poor attempted pass from the Dutch defender to his goalkeeper to put Villarreal ahead.
Liverpool attempted to respond, but their greater territorial control initially left room for Villarreal to break. The visitors made that threat count again around the half-hour mark, when Saliba supplied Sergi Cardona for a second goal. At 0-2, Anfield’s frustration was unmistakable, and Liverpool’s attacking pressure began to arrive from every direction: through Ngumoha’s flank, via Cody Gakpo and, increasingly, with high deliveries into the area.
The home side restored parity in the nine minutes before the interval. Alexis Mac Allister, despite standing 1.75 metres tall, headed in from a corner, and Araújo followed with another header after Cardona lost his position at the far post. Villarreal had resisted Liverpool’s advance for much of the half, but the match had been turned before they could reach the dressing room.
Liverpool then took command immediately after the restart with a directness Villarreal could not contain. Ngumoha produced a fine individual run and picked out Mac Allister in the box for his second of the evening. Soon afterwards, Wirtz controlled with his right foot and finished with his left after Gakpo’s delivery, taking the hosts to 4-2.
Iraola reshaped Villarreal by introducing Gerard and Ayoze, and the changes gave the visitors a way back into the contest. The pair combined in a sweeping move that produced the seventh goal and made it 4-3, reviving hopes of an extraordinary finish. Liverpool had ultimately survived their own turbulent beginning, but Villarreal’s fearless opening and late defiance ensured that their defeat carried as much competitive substance as disappointment.
