By: Shane Brennan
Liverpool travelled to the Estadio de la Cerámica in the hope of reaching yet another Champions League final, The Reds had a two goal buffer to defend from the first leg at Anfield just under a week ago.
Unfortunately The Reds were to struggle right from the off in Spain, as Villarreal CF came flying out of the blocks like men on a mission once again looking to defy the odds, and they got off to an excellent start, as Étienne Capoue played the ball across goal to set up Boulaye Dia from close range to finish comfortably, as the Liverpool defence were simply caught off guard, and in turn the deficit was halved, as The Reds had a real task on their hands!
Liverpool could not string too many passes together, as this half of football was proving to be one of the most difficult of the campaign to date, and Villarreal nearly cashed in once again, as Giovani Lo Celso found himself one on one with Alisson Becker, but the Brazilian stopper was on hand to win the ball superbly and spare Liverpool’s blushes this time around.
Sadly the Spanish outfit did not have to wait long for the tie to be back on level terms overall, as Capoue crossed a brilliant ball into the box that found Francis Coquelin, and he had the simple task of heading the ball past a helpless Alisson, as Liverpool looked in big trouble, as Villarreal were flying.
Liverpool knew they just had to be better in the second half if they were to keep their Champions League dream alive, and credit where credit is due, they came out of the tunnel with much more intent and purpose, as they went about their work, and the first chance of the second half was to come about from a Trent Alexander-Arnold shot that deflected off Coquelin onto the crossbar, as The Reds came very close to regaining control of the tie overall.
Liverpool were to score when Mohamed Salah found Fabinho in space, and with the keeper wrong footed Fabinho let fly and luckily the ball was to go through Gerónimo Rulli’s legs and into the back of the net, as Liverpool were once again on track for a place in the final at the end of the month.
And when substitute Luis Diaz got the better of Juan Foyth on one of his tricky runs, there looked to be only one outcome about to happen, but his shot was somehow deflected wide for a corner, as a wall of yellow jerseys stood in Liverpool’s way.
In any case Diaz was not to be denied because when Sadio Mane found Alexander-Arnold , he crossed the ball into the box to find Diaz in oceans of space for a free header, to power Liverpool back on terms on the night, and give them a firm grip once again of the semi-final.
And Liverpool were to complete an almighty turn around on the evening, as Naby Keita played in Mane, as Rulli came racing out of his goal, the Liverpool striker calmly took the ball around him, and slotted it home into an empty net.
Villarreal’s capitulation was to be complete when Capoue received a second yellow card for a clumsy tackle on Curtis Jones.
It was to be a magical night in the end for The Mighty Reds and the traveling support, as Liverpool earned the right to play either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final on the 28th of May.
