Villarreal’s hopes of springing yet another Champions League shock look all but over as Liverpool claimed a commanding 2-0 win in their semi-final first leg at Anfield.
After surviving wave after wave of Liverpool pressure in the first half, the Yellow Submarine eventually succumbed to the Crimson tide as two second-half goals in quick succession have put Jurgen Klopp’s side firmly in the driver’s seat to make the final.
Read on below for SBOTOP shares three key takeaways from Liverpool’s dominant first-leg victory over Villarreal.
Liverpool simply on another level
Villarreal deserve all the credit in the world for overcoming two European giants in Juventus and Bayern Munich to make it into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
But the first leg showed that Liverpool are simply on another level from the Yellow Submarine and even Europe’s other elite teams.
As expected, Jurgen Klopp’s side dominated from the opening whistle and immediately put Villarreal under the cosh with their persistent pressing.
To the visitors’ credit, they once again defended expertly, keeping Liverpool scoreless at half-time. But just like in the Merseyside derby, the Reds’ pressure eventually told early in the second half as they got the go-ahead goal, albeit in fortuitous fashion after Pervis Estupinian deflected Jordan Henderson’s cross into his own goal.
After the Villarreal dam finally broke, Liverpool wasted little time to deal what could be the decisive blow in the tie as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane combined for the second.
Liverpool didn’t let up despite building a two-goal lead, either, as they held Villarreal to a single shot on goal and none on target.
Emery admitted post-match that it could have ended up being much worse for his side, and it’s hard to argue with him. Liverpool are simply a different class at the moment and it’s tough for any club to compete with them, especially one with such limited resources like Villarreal.
Valiant Villarreal miss Moreno
Just about everyone knew what Unai Emery was going to do at Anfield – sit deep and defend – and Villarreal executed his tactics as well as anyone could have expected. They kept a clean sheet into half-time amid Liverpool’s constant pressure.
But Emery’s plan was crucial missing a cohesive counterattacking component that was always going to make it much tougher to avoid defeat at Anfield. They simply had no counter for Liverpool’s suffocating press, which kept the Yellow Submarine from springing any attacks.
Gerard Moreno’s absence was obviously a big reason why Villarreal couldn’t create anything offensively. While Liverpool’s excellent defending deserves a lot of credit as well, having Moreno – a Spanish international striker – instead of the inexperienced Samuel Chukwueze could have produced at least a few more Champions League 2022 highlights for the visitors.
With Moreno’s fitness for the second leg still a doubt and a two-goal deficit to overcome, Villarreal’s Champions League 2022 odds of reaching the final are remote, to say the least. Emery can no longer use his conservative counterattacking approach at home and must open up to stand any chance of going through.
Liverpool’s recent signings continue to pay off
Liverpool’s transfer business over the past two years has been impeccable. Diogo Jota has been brilliant since arriving from Wolves last year, while Luis Diaz – who started in place of Jota against Villarreal – has made an immediate impact after coming over in the winter.
But against Villarreal, it was their two high-profile signings from the Bundesliga – Thiago Alcantara and Ibrahima Konate – who shone in the semi-final first leg.
After a somewhat underwhelming debut season sidetracked by his usual injuries last year, Thiago is now hitting his best form and is showing why so many were excited by his arrival from Bayern Munich. The Spanish midfielder was masterful against Villarreal; he completed 99 out of 103 passes, made 10 ball recoveries and had five interceptions. He also hit the post as he turned in an all-around performance.
Meanwhile, Konate – who started both legs against Benfica and even scored two goals – again got the nod ahead of Joel Matip, with Klopp likely preferring the young Frenchman’s pace to prevent counterattacks. And the 22-year-old didn’t disappoint as he hardly put a foot wrong while playing alongside Virgil van Dijk and seems to be growing more and more in confidence.
Liverpool’s savvy transfer signings are just one of the many reasons why the Reds have been so dominant this year and are on the cusp of yet another trip to the Champions League final.
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