Razeen Gutta
The Reds put one foot in the Uefa Champions League final with a 2-0 first leg semi-final victory over Villarreal at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Unlike the open game in Manchester last night, the Merseyside affair was all about the hosts, with Jürgen Klopp’s side pressing hard throughout and keeping 73% of possession.
The breakthrough came early in the second half after captain Jordan Henderson’s cross got a major deflection to put Liverpool in front.
Sadio Mané combined with Mohamed Salah minutes later to make it two. It could have been more when Andy Robertson had a goal disallowed for offside as the Reds had 19 shots compared to Villareal’s single off-target attempt.
The Liverpool skipper was all praise for Unai Emery’s organisation and admitted that it’s never easy playing against the low block.
“You need a little bit of luck when teams play a low block – that lifted the crowd and thankfully we got another one,” Henderson said post-match.
“They’re a very organised team. We knew if we kept the ball and played well we’d eventually break them down and we did that with two good goals.”
The two sides will face off again in six days time in Spain, with Villareal compelled to change their style of play in a bid to make an unlikely comeback.
Based on the first legs, the Premier League rivals Manchester City and Liverpool could contest the Champions League final, showcasing their current dominance in world football.
Image source: @LFC
