Liverpool have reached the Champions League final after a dramatic 3-2 second-leg win secured a 5-2 aggregate victory over Villarreal.
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| Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane celebrate after clinching desired victory against Villarreal |
Jurgen Klopp's side came from two goals down at half-time to stage a remarkable comeback to progress to the Champions League final.
The Reds were overwhelming favourites to progress to the final thanks to last week’s two-goal victory over the Spanish side at Anfield, where Jurgen Klopp’s side were dominant from start to finish. Yet they were left rocking from the start as Villarreal made the fast start that they needed.
In the third minute, Boulaye Dia gave the home side the lead after a cross from Pervis Estupinan found Etienne Capoue and the former Tottenham and
Watford midfielder laid it on a plate for the Senegalese forward to coolly find the net.
It was a moment that the Reds struggled to respond to, with all the first half pressure coming from the home side; Giovanni Lo Celso went down in the area under a challenge from Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker, but play was waved on. Moments later, Villarreal doubled their lead on the night to draw level on aggregate as former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin guided a header from Capoue’s cross beyond Alisson and into the net.
However, the home side’s energy levels appeared to drop significantly after the break with Liverpool enjoying much more possession and carving out opportunities.
Just after the hour mark, Fabinho found space inside the area and his low shot went through the legs of Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
Luis Diaz, Liveepool's substitute after the break, helped to orchestrate play and turned the game on its head and Fabinho pulled a goal back in the 62nd minute to calm Liverpool's nerves.
Five minutes later, Trent Alexander-Arnold crossed from the right and Colombian Diaz headed down and past keeper Rulli.
Liverpool were not finished yet as a well-taken goal by Sadio Mane in the 74th minute gave them victory on the night and sees them through to the final 5-2 on aggregate.
While the three-goal cushion may look comfortable for Liverpool this was a test of their nerve and powers of recovery as an awful first half by their standards saw their first-leg advantage wiped out by debut goals in the competition from Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin.
But the half-time introduction of £37.5million January signing Luis Diaz, who has reinvigorated 2022 for Jurgen Klopp’s side, changed the game – aided and abetted by a distinctly poor goalkeeping performance from the hosts’ Geronimo Rulli.
The Argentinian had a hand in all of Liverpool’s three goals from Fabinho, Diaz and Sadio Mane in 12 second-half minutes.
Villarreal’s misery was completed when Etienne Capoue was sent off for a second yellow card for a foul on Curtis Jones late on.
Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane were all on target for the Reds after the break as they sailed through to the final in Paris, where they will play the winners of Real Madrid’s clash against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Liverpool have now reached their third Champions League final in five seasons after staging a stunning second half comeback victory over Villarreal.
The final will take place in Paris on Saturday, 28th May and Liverpool will find out on Wednesday whether they face Manchester City or Real Madrid.
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