Andoni Iraola and Iñigo Pérez parked a long and close friendship in the buildup to their first competitive confrontation as coaches. The old Athletic Bilbao teammates will have a humdinger of a Champions League contest to dissect once communications are restored. Liverpool, ignited by Rio Ngumoha, recovered from two goals down against Villarreal to maintain their 100% record plus their gathering momentum.
Alexis Mac Allister struck twice, Florian Wirtz capped recent improvement with his first goal of the season while Liverpool were dreadful for the opening 30 minutes, transformed after the break and fretting in stoppage time after Tani Oluwaseyi had volleyed in a third for Villarreal. The game flipped on Sergi Cardona’s mistake and Ronald Araújo’s equaliser with the final touch of the first half. “We weren’t able to handle the emotion tonight,” conceded Villarreal coach Pérez.
But the lasting impression was of Ngumoha seizing responsibility in the absence of big names and driving Liverpool on at the age of 18. The winger was electric, the difference maker, and from the right-wing role that he is still adapting to. He supplied the cross for Araújo’s all-important leveller and unravelled the Villarreal defence for Mac Allister’s second, Liverpool’s third on a rollercoaster of a night and performance.
“Rio didn’t have it easy tonight,” said Iraola. “They demanded a lot of him defensively with their left-back attacking but he was very difficult to stop. If you can put him in one-v-ones he can make space and produce things, like the lovely assist for Alexis, and endurance-wise he is able to play more and more minutes. He is eager to improve and if he can add things to his game he’ll become the full package.”
The regular phone calls between Iraola and Pérez had ceased in the days leading up to the fixture. Had they continued the Liverpool head coach might have told his opposite number to bring a coat and not wear a short-sleeved polo shirt on a day of incessant rain. Iraola rested Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola. A fourth game in 10 days explained the omissions of Wirtz and Barcola, who had featured heavily in the previous three, while Isak’s workload was being carefully managed after his recent thigh injury.
Liverpool’s much-changed team fell behind quickly. An error-strewn start by Virgil van Dijk was responsible, and also in keeping with a ponderous opening half hour from the hosts. Villarreal passed their way around Anfield with style and precious little resistance.
The Liverpool captain presented Georges Mikautadze with an immediate opportunity when he misjudged a long clearance by Renato Veiga. Van Dijk’s poor touch almost released the Georgia international striker through on goal but Jérémy Jacquet closed off that route. Van Dijk’s second slip followed moments later, and this time there was no reprieve. The defender attempted to head another Veiga long ball back into the safe arms of Alisson. He found Mikautadze instead and Villarreal’s No 9 pounced expertly, controlling well before rolling the ball under the Liverpool keeper. There were apologies all round from Van Dijk.
Villarreal doubled their lead with a goal that encapsulated the start made by both teams – the visitors passing their way through Liverpool’s midfield and picking holes in their high defensive line, with the home side slow to react. Pape Gueye, Alberto Moleiro and Nathan Saliba combined to send their rampaging left-back, Cardona, through on goal. Played onside by Kostas Tsimikas, the full-back beat Alisson with a finish a striker would have been proud of.
Cardona’s defending was much less impressive as Liverpool clawed their way back into the contest. The recovery commenced when Mac Allister rose superbly to meet a Tsimikas corner and flicked an unstoppable header into the unguarded side of Peter Gulacsi’s goal.
Villarreal’s comfort vanished entirely when Ngumoha clipped a cross towards the far post following another Tsimikas corner. Cardona checked his surroundings, then inexplicably let the ball bounce behind him, and right into the spot where Araújo was lurking. The on-loan defender headed home for the second successive week in the Champions League and celebrated with a mass pile-on with fans in the Anfield Road Stand.
Araújo was withdrawn at the interval because Iraola felt Liverpool would match up better to Villarreal with Ryan Gravenberch at right-back and Wirtz restored to the forward line. And so it proved. Liverpool improved vastly after the restart with Ngumoha and Wirtz a constant, marauding threat.
Ngumoha took the acclaim of the Kop after creating Mac Allister’s second of the night with a sparkling run down the right. It was some one-two that brought Liverpool the lead. Mac Allister floated a pass out to the winger, whose first touch brought the ball under control and took him away from Cardona in the same movement. He then left the substitute Juan Foyth in his wake before pulling back a pass from the byline for the incoming midfielder to smash a shot in off the underside of Gulacsi’s crossbar.
Wirtz completed the comeback after Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo had combined to create space for the playmaker inside the area. The Germany international drilled a clinical left-footed finish inside the Villarreal keeper’s far corner. Oluwaseyi created a nervous finale when converting a cross from the former Newcastle forward Ayoze Pérez but Liverpool held firm. “We started too relaxed and we were too relaxed at 4-2,” Iraola said. “But against a really good Villarreal team I give value and importance to this win.”
