Liverpool produced a thrilling comeback at Anfield, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Villarreal 4-3 and preserve their flawless start to the Champions League campaign on Tuesday night.
Villarreal manager Inigo Perez seemed poised for a memorable victory against his former mentor Andoni Iraola, with the Spaniards racing into a deserved 2-0 lead within the opening half hour thanks to goals from Georges Mikautadze and Sergi Cardona.
However, Liverpool capitalized on Villarreal’s vulnerability defending crosses, as Alexis Mac Allister and Ronald Araujo both struck to restore parity before the break.
Mac Allister then fired Liverpool ahead with his second goal midway through the second half, and substitute Florian Wirtz completed the turnaround, sending the Reds level with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the group—each boasting nine points from three games.
Iraola opted to rest his trio of forwards worth over £100 million, with Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola, and Wirtz starting on the bench, mindful of an upcoming Premier League clash against high-flying Brighton.
The rotated Liverpool side struggled early, gifting the visitors an opener after just four minutes as Virgil van Dijk’s miscued header allowed Mikautadze to finish clinically.
Perez’s managerial journey began unexpectedly when a denied work permit prevented him from assisting Iraola at Bournemouth, ultimately leading him to take charge at Rayo Vallecano where he previously worked under Iraola and guiding them to a Conference League final.
His tactical insight was evident as Villarreal repeatedly unpicked Liverpool’s defense in the first half. A slick team move saw Nathan Saliba find Cardona, who doubled the lead with a composed finish past Alisson.
Liverpool’s rotated attack struggled until Mac Allister’s looping header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner ignited the comeback. Rio Ngumoha then tormented Villarreal’s back line, and his first of two assists came courtesy of defensive lapses, with Cardona failing to clear at the far post, allowing Araujo to nod in the equalizer. That proved to be Araujo’s final contribution before being replaced by Wirtz at halftime, after which Liverpool’s attack found new impetus.
Ngumoha’s blistering pace down the right flank carved open Villarreal again, and his low cross was thundered home by Mac Allister. Moments later, Cody Gakpo teed up Wirtz to open his account for the season, answering critics of his productivity. Although Tani Oluwaseyi’s sweet strike from an Ayoze Perez cross set up a tense finale, Liverpool held firm to edge closer to the knockout stages, leaving Villarreal with just three points from their opening three matches.
