The Reds defeated Villarreal in the first leg of their 2021/22 UEFA Champions League semifinal tie. Jurgen Klopp’s men scored twice within two minutes at the start of the second half to claim the advantage ahead of next week’s second leg.
As it stands, the 2021/22 edition of the UEFA Champions League is heading towards an all-English final. Liverpool, like their Premier League title rivals Manchester City, beat a Spanish side in the first leg of their semifinal tie. The Reds claimed a 2-0 victory over Villarreal, who played their first UCL semifinal since 2006.
Chances fell to Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, both, within the first half-hour, but, otherwise ruthless, the pair flashed their attempts off-target from close range.
The closest they came to opening the scoring in the first period was through Thiago Alcantara in the 42nd minute – the midfielder rattled the upright with a scintillating shot from distance.
Fabinho had the ball in the net for Liverpool four minutes after the interval. The Brazilian swung his boot at the ball from a Virgil van Dijk knockdown, only for the linesman to raise his flag against the Dutchman.
Nevertheless, Klopp’s side did have something to celebrate moments later, as Jordan Henderson’s cross took a wicked deflection off of Pervis Estupinan and looped over a stranded Geronimo Rulli into the net.
Liverpool doubled their advantage in quick succession. In the very next attack, Salah threaded the ball through to Mane, who poked it past an onrushing Rulli – 55 minutes in, and the hosts led 2-0.
And they came close to adding a third, too, as Andrew Robertson volleyed the ball past Rulli from a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross in the 64th minute, but again, the flag was raised, indicating offside.
Five minutes later, van Dijk stung Rulli’s palms with a long-range thunderbolt before Luis Diaz failed to score from the follow-up. Nonetheless, the 2018/19 champions came away with a massive advantage from the match and now stand a chance of returning to the final scheduled to be held at Saint-Denis’s Stade de France on May 28.
