The Reds came from behind after a magnificent start from Villarreal, who raced into a 0-2 lead and pushed for an equaliser late on

Villarreal suffered a narrow and honourable 4-3 defeat at Anfield. Iñigo Pérez’s side were unable to take any points despite producing a superb display and establishing a 0-2 advantage inside the opening half hour. Liverpool levelled the contest before half-time and completed the comeback with two further goals after the break. The hosts’ second-half surge failed to extinguish Villarreal’s fighting spirit, with Oluwaseyi’s late goal making it 4-3 and setting up a tense finale, though the Yellow Submarine were ultimately unable to find an equaliser.

Full of belief, Villarreal arrived at Anfield for their third visit to one of football’s most iconic stadiums. The Yellows were determined to upset a Liverpool side they had previously faced twice in European semi-finals, in the 2016 UEFA Europa League and again in this competition in 2022.

Following their valuable 3-1 victory over SSC Napoli at the Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal entered their second away fixture of the Champions League campaign after an impressive but unfortunate 3-2 defeat against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

To take on Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool, a coach with whom he previously worked at Rayo Vallecano, Iñigo Pérez selected a strong starting XI featuring Gulácsi in goal; a back four of Mouriño, Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga and Sergi Cardona; a powerful midfield trio of Santi Comesaña, Saliba and Pape Gueye; and the attacking quality of Moleiro, Buchanan and Mikautadze.

A sensational opening half hour

Villarreal’s intention to surprise Liverpool became clear almost immediately. Before the fifth minute, Mikautadze stunned Anfield by making it 0-1. Just as he had against Napoli, the Georgian striker capitalised on a defensive error, taking advantage of a misplaced pass from Van Dijk before calmly finishing past Alisson with his left foot. It was Villarreal’s first-ever goal at Anfield.

With the lead secured, Villarreal continued to execute their game plan perfectly. Compact in defence, disciplined without the ball and direct in attack, Pérez’s side looked comfortable against one of the strongest teams in Europe.

Indeed, Villarreal were the more threatening side. Each time they escaped Liverpool’s press they created danger. Before the half-hour mark, the Yellows sent shockwaves through Anfield by doubling their advantage. Sergi Cardona finished off a brilliant move involving Gueye, Comesaña and Saliba, arriving from deep before producing a composed striker’s finish to make it 0-2.

For thirty minutes, Villarreal produced a footballing masterclass. The hosts eventually responded through Mac Allister, who reduced the deficit from a corner delivered by Tsimikas, turning the ball into the far corner.

Liverpool responded before the break

Liverpool needed very little to get back into the match. Their first goal highlighted the quality and danger carried by Iraola’s side despite Villarreal’s dominance.

After pulling one back, the Reds grew into the contest and eventually found an equaliser before half-time. Araujo rose highest at the far post to head home following a somewhat unfortunate defensive sequence for Villarreal.

The momentum shifted significantly after the interval. Liverpool returned to the pitch with intensity and forced Villarreal into a deeper defensive shape while waiting for opportunities to break forward.

The home side continued to threaten from distance, forcing Gulácsi into several important saves. Villarreal, meanwhile, looked to exploit the spaces left behind on the counter-attack.

Before the hour mark, Iñigo Pérez had already refreshed his side by introducing Oluwaseyi, Foyth, Freeman and Ayoze, replacing Saliba, Moleiro, Buchanan and Mikautadze.

Liverpool kept pushing and eventually completed the comeback in the 66th minute. Mac Allister scored his second goal of the night, finishing off an excellent individual run by Rio down the right flank.

Villarreal struggled to regain the fluency they had shown before the break and, just two minutes later, Wirtz made it 4-2 to seemingly put the match beyond doubt.

Chasing the equaliser until the final whistle

Pérez’s side finally reawakened during the closing stages. From the 70th minute onwards, Villarreal began creating chances once again. Gueye tested the goalkeeper from distance before Ayoze struck the post, proving that the visitors remained firmly in the contest despite Liverpool’s dominance.

In the closing moments, Villarreal reduced the deficit. Tani Oluwaseyi converted a superb cross from Ayoze to make it 4-3. The Canadian striker’s goal reignited hopes of completing the comeback.

The Yellow Submarine continued to believe until the final whistle, but despite their late surge, they were unable to find the equaliser.