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Liverpool took control of their Champions League semi-final with Villarreal with a deserved first-leg win at Anfield.
The Reds got what they deserved, eventually, but it was a fair time coming. And not just on the night.
Believe it or not, they haven’t won a Champions League knock-out tie at Anfield since that astonishing night against Barcelona in 2019, also at the semi-final stage. This most certainly wasn’t that.
Villarreal are no Barcelona, and this was a first leg tie. Technically, it’s half time even if we think we know where the tie is heading. Yet it was, in its own way, no less hard fought. When Liverpool got their breakthrough goals – two in two minutes – they had spent the best part of an hour throwing themselves against a yellow wall of resistance.
Villarreal defended superbly in the first-half and were threatening to do the same again. It took a sizable slab of luck for Liverpool to score and, as often happens, with tails up they took advantage. For all the respect shown to Villarreal, undeniably Manchester City have copped the tougher half of the draw in the Champions League knock-out stages.
The trip to Real Madrid threatens to take considerably more out of them than Liverpool’s second leg in Villarreal – as happened when City played Atletico Madrid in the previous round. The effects were still being felt when they met Liverpool at Wembley that Saturday.
But Liverpool were made to work hard here, have no doubt of that. And without a fortuitous deflection who knows how long it would have taken to get the upper hand? It is hard to feel sorry for Villarreal, mind, when they offered so little. They will have to be more expansive than this if they are to stand the merest chance at home.
The goal that did for them came after 53 minutes. Mo Salah fed the ball to Jordan Henderson – the man of the match, to these eyes – on the overlap, and his cross clipped defender Pervis Estupinan on its way over. The ball flew over the head of goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, forcing a despairing last fingertip touch that did nothing to change its trajectory. It nestled in the far corner. Anfield erupted in joy and relief.
From the next attack, game over and maybe the tie too. Villarreal don’t seem to have three in them at this level and that is what they now need. It was another fabulous intervention from Salah, defeating two defenders and sliding in Sadio Mane who slipped the ball past the advancing Rulli. Liverpool had the ball in the net twice more, both disallowed, but no complaints. This should be enough. The yellow submarine doesn’t have the firepower to engage in more than a skirmish.
Villarreal have not conceded a single first-half goal in their six Champions League away matches this season, and seeing how events unfolded here, there’s a reason for that. This was no slug fest like Real Madrid’s visit to Manchester. This was attack versus defence, Liverpool pressing high, relentless in their pursuit of the breakthrough, only too aware of the need to strike given home advantage.
Villarreal weren’t having any of it. They set up in banks designed to frustrate, and did. Not that Villarreal don’t play. This is a smart, technical team and they play their way out of trouble well. Neat little triangles form, even deep, and they take risks rather than just hoofing it clear. This is a well-organised, well-balanced team, their progress under Unai Emery only going to show what a mistake they made at Arsenal valuing the opinion of whatever director of football was in vogue at the time, rather than an insightful and impressive coach.
The problem, of course, was that Villarreal committed so wholeheartedly to resistance that when they did work the ball out from the back there was no-one upfield to keep it, or truly threaten. Nothing was offered. In the 32nd minute, the ball was worked out to Samu Chukwueze who turned straight into Virgil van Dijk. It looked like a collision, albeit perhaps a knowing one from the Dutchman’s perspective, but referee Szymon Marciniak from Poland saw a blatant bodycheck and brandished a yellow card. Does that count as a Villarreal attack, having progressed no further than 20 yards outside their own penalty area? If it doesn’t then Villarreal offered, literally, nothing.
And yet were impressive in their own way. They were defensively tight, intelligent, cool. They took time out of the game at goal-kicks and other restarts but not in a way that was wholly obvious. Yes, the locals were unimpressed but Marciniak had plainly seen worse. He’s refereed Atletico Madrid, for heaven’s sake.
The stop-start nature of the encounter succeeded in breaking up Liverpool’s rhythm, though, so while they dominated and hit the woodwork, it never felt like one of those games in which one side were overwhelmed. Villarreal are used to seeing more of the ball, sure, but equally they know how Liverpool play and what to expect. They handled what was thrown at them very well.
The game was eight minutes old when Ibrahima Konate met an Andy Robertson corner from the left with a header that fell at the feet of Sadio Mane, inside the penalty area. Before he had a chance to shoot, however, it was swept away for a corner. And that set the pattern for the night. Just four minutes later Mo Salah broke down the right and hit a cross that, again, Mane couldn’t quite get set to receive. It hit his head rather than being steered by it, and another chance went by.
Now to Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli who is one of those types who prefers the punch to the parry, or even a straightforward catch. Last night, he landed more punches than Dillian Whyte at Wembley on Saturday. Maybe it is to cover a weakness gathering cleanly. That was certainly how it looked when fumbling a Luis Diaz shot after 14 minutes. It wasn’t the strongest but he collected it only at the second attempt.
A Jordan Henderson volley from an acute angle after Thiago Alcantara’s crossfield pass hit the outside of a post on 22 minutes, before Salah curled a shot over after Mane had held the ball up for him five minutes later.
Rulli punched out a Diaz shot on 31 minutes, and when Etienne Capoue conceded possession soon after Mane had another effort deflected just wide. The pressure was unrelenting – a volleyed cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold was met by a volleyed shot from Salah, again wide of the target. Finally, minutes before half-time, Thiago drilled one from 25 yards and hit a post. No doubt Jurgen Klopp told his team at half-time that Villarreal could not survive another 45 minutes like that. And he was right.