Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool LIVE! Mane goal – Champions League result, match stream and latest updates today

[ad_1]

Liverpool booked their third Champions League final in five seasons after a chaotic 3-2 second-leg win in Villarreal saw them progress 5-2 on aggregate.

While the three-goal cushion may look comfortable 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 January signing Luis Diaz, who has reinvigorated 2022 for Jurgen Klopp’s side, changed the game – aided and abetted by a distinctly ordinary goalkeeping performance from the hosts’ Geronimo Rulli.

READ MORE

The Argentinian had a hand – or lack of one – in all of Liverpool’s three goals from Fabinho, Diaz and Sadio Mane in 12 second-half minutes and was culpable for at least two. Villarreal’s misery was completed when Etienne Capoue was sent off for a second yellow card for a foul on Curtis Jones late on.

The Reds will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in Paris at the end of May.

Villarreal vs Liverpool latest newsLive updatesShow latest updates 1651613375What a 45 minutes he had…1651612810What was Klopp’s first-half message?

Virgil van Dijk has revealed Jurgen Klopp simply told his players to be themselves at half-time.

It looked like being a terrible night for Liverpool – they came out after the break and changed all that.

“Play football, play the Liverpool way,” Van Dijk said of the half-time message.

“Play the way we’ve been playing basically all season. Get on the ball, have a lot of movement in the box and behind the high line. But also, show how much we really want to go to the final. That’s how it starts.

“Second-half we dominated and played so well.”

1651612400Another nervy semi-final…

It’s been another eventful semi-final tie for Liverpool, to add to their collection in recent years. They won’t care now though!

“We don’t make these Champions League semis easy for ourselves: Roma away, Barca at home and now here,” Alexander-Arnold said.

“They played very well in the first half, but we grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half and did what we needed to do.

“We expected it to be difficult in the first half. Sometimes you can’t control the game how you want to. But we got it done and we’ve booked our ticket to Paris.”

1651612111Alexander-Arnold’s post-match reaction…

“We didn’t play in the football in the first half, we didn’t pick up the second balls. They played the game they wanted to and we allowed them to do that. It was difficult for us.

“In the second half we played the way we needed to play and controlled the game a lot better. One bad half over the two legs… we can concede that as long as we get the job done.

“It’s always nice to get the job done on the Tuesday, so we can watch the game tomorrow knowing that we’re already there. It could be another amazing game. Either opponents deserves to get to the final, so I’m excited to see who we’ll get.”

1651611762

Villarreal players did a lap of the pitch after the match and got a brilliant reception from the fans.

Disappointing end to this tie for them, it all fell apart in a 12-minute spell.

But they can be so proud of their efforts – they gave Liverpool a real scare. Not many have ratted Jurgen Klopp’s side like that this season.

1651611611Goal that capped it all…1651611286Get those tickets booked Liverpool fans…1651611137FT: Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool (2-5 aggregate)

What a tie!

It’s a third Champions League final in five seasons for Liverpool. They had to really work for it but in the end it was an absolute cruise.

Getty Images1651610902

89 mins: This could be any score now, there’s no defending going on.

Liverpool charge forward, there’s so much space. Mane lays it off to Salah, who is desperate to get his goal. Shoots well wide though as he loses balance.

.

[ad_2]