Villarreal vs Liverpool LIVE: Champions League result and final score after Luis Diaz turns semi-final around
Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool (Liverpool win 5-2 on aggregate): Follow for live reaction from a thrilling night in the Champions League as the Reds progressed to the final
Follow live reaction as Liverpool progressed to the Champions League final after seeing off a thrilling comeback from Villarreal thanks to second-half goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane.
The noise in El Madrigal before kick-off ensured it would be an intimidating atmosphere for Liverpool, who led 2-0 after last week’s first leg at Anfield, and an early goal from Boulaye Dia inside three minutes gave Villarreal a perfect start.
Liverpool were sloppy in what was their poorest first half of the season and when Francis Coquelin’s header levelled the tie shortly before the break it was no less than Villarreal deserved.
But it was all change after half-time, with Diaz making an impact from the bench. Fabinho fired between goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli’s legs to put the Reds ahead once again, before Diaz scored a header from close range to restore Liverpool’s two-goal lead.
Mane confirmed the win as he went round the goalkeeper to score Liverpool’s third goal in 12 minutes, which keeps Jurgen Klopp’s hopes of an unprecedented quadruple alive.
Liverpool will play either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the Paris final on May 28. Relive the action from a dramatic Champions League semi-final below.
Villarreal vs Liverpool line-ups
Villarreal XI: Rulli, Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Estupinan, Parejo, Capoue, Coquelin, Lo Celso, Dia, Gerard Moreno
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Keita, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Salah, Jota, Mane
Previous meetings
These sides had only met once before this Champions League semi-final fixture. That clash came in the semi-final of the 2015/1 Europa League.
Adrian López scored the only goal of the first leg in Spain to earn victory for a Villarreal side coached by Marcelino. However, Liverpool went through followin a 3-0 success at Anfield. They took the lead through an early Bruno Soriano own goal before Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana added to the tally in the second half.
Liverpool then went on to lose the Europa League final to a Sevilla side coached by current Villarreal boss Unai Emery.
How Jurgen Klopp harnessed the strongest squad in Liverpool’s history
A lot can change between August and May. Nine months ago pundits, supporters and opponents were questioning the strength of Jurgen Klopp’s squad and wondering whether Liverpool had the depth to go head-to-head with Manchester City over 38 games.
Tonight the 54-year-old takes his team to Villarreal for the second leg of a Champions League semi-final with a 2-0 lead and the ability to shuffle his side with an eye to the battle for the Premier League. He has arguably the most formidable group of players in Europe.
Klopp’s first XI has been an impressive unit for the past four years. For much of that time the dropoff was pronounced when senior players were ruled out and needed to be replaced. Rotation felt more like roulette. A series of injuries last season caused chaos for the team.
How Jurgen Klopp harnessed the strongest squad in Liverpool’s history
The manager has used his squad like a master tactician to stay in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple
Villarreal vs Liverpool
This is Liverpool’s third Champions League semi-final in five seasons, with the Reds being victorious in both of the previous two.
Villarreal’s only previous appearance at this stage of the competition came 16 years ago and ended in defeat to English opponents when they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Arsenal.
What happened in the first leg?
Liverpool dominated the first leg at Anfield last Wednesday as Villarreal sat deep and tried to keep them at bay. Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara both hit the woodwork in first half but the visitors made it to half-time on level terms.
The Reds kept patient though and took the lead through a deflected cross from Henderson in 53rd minute. Two minutes later, Sadio Mané poked in Moh Salah’s through ball to put the Reds two goals up and within toughing distance of the Champions League final.
Will things play out in a similar way tonight?
‘We need to play a perfect game’ says Emery
Villarreal boss, Unai Emery, knows the importance and difficulty of the task his team face this evening. The Spanish side have to overturn a two-goal deficit against Liverpool tonight in order to progress to the Champions League final.
"We need to play a perfect game," admitted Emery in a press conference on Monday. "It is a difficult task, but we’re working on the game.
"We need to find our excellence in certain things and maybe achieve something no-one has achieved, which is this kind of comeback.
"We will try to find some weak spots, something that no-one has done this season."
‘We have to be ready to suffer’ says Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has told his players to be prepared for a difficult night as they attempt to reach the Champions League final. Liverpool lead 2-0 on aggregate after the first leg at Anfield and Klopp knows Villarreal will give it their all in a game where they have little to lose.
"We have to be ready to play a top game because they will go for us." he said, “They will try to play much more football than we allowed them in the first game,
"My only concern is what we do and we have to be ready to suffer. But not going 1-0 down or whatever - that can happen in football matches - but giving the game the right direction.
"If they have the first shot on target, the crowd goes up, each challenge, the crowd goes up and that is how it is."
Early team news fo Villarreal vs Liverpool
Roberto Firmino will not feature for Liverpool this evening as he continues to recover from a foot injury sustained in April but Naby Keita is good to go and Divock Origi has returned to the team after missing the Premier League game against Newcastle due to illness.
Gerard Moreno hopes to be available for Villarreal after a hamstring issue sidelined him for the first leg. Arnaut Danjuma will be assessed in the run-up to kick-off but Yeremy Pino has once again been ruled out.
Good evening
Good evening and welcome to live updates of tonight’s Champions League semi-final as Liverpool travel to Villarreal aiming to finish the job and reach a third final in five seasons under Jurgen Klopp. The Reds take a two-goal lead into the semi-final second leg at El Madrigal following a dominant performance at Anfield last week, but Unai Emery’s Europa League winners have shocked Bayern Munich and Juventus to reach this point and cannot be taken lightly.
The hosts will have to be more adventurous this time if they are to turn the tie around, after Sadio Mane added to Jordan Henderson’s rather fortuitous opener to earn Liverpool a 2-0 first-leg victory, but Liverpool will be looking to keep the momentum going with another win as their quest for an unprecedented quadruple continues. The Reds defeated Newcastle 1-0 on Saturday to keep their Premier League title challenge alive, with Manchester City then responding to remain one point in front.
Klopp has warned that Liverpool will need to “suffer” if they are to advance to the Paris final in what the German expects to be a “tough” night in Spain. But Emery was under no illusions of the task awaiting his side as he claimed Villarreal will need to play the “perfect game” if they are to overturn Liverpool’s lead and pull off a mighty European shock.
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