Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno said his teammates can be "proud" of their performance against Liverpool, even though their bid to reach a first Champions League final ultimately fell short.
The Spanish side took a 2-0 lead at El Madrigal on Tuesday to level their semi-final tie through Boulaye Dia and Etienne Capoue - who was later sent off for two bookable offences.
But for 45 thrilling minutes, Villarreal played like a team on a mission and roared on by their faithful fans who were packed inside their modest stadium.
Yet it was a tale of two halves for a Liverpool team, who shook off a groggy display to return after the break and kill the tie off with three goals in a 12-minute spell to advance to their third European Cup final in five seasons with a 3-2 win and 5-2 aggregate success.
"Tonight is a night to be proud. The team believed until the end," an emotional Moreno told reporters.
"The first half was incredible, one of the best of the season. The match was put on the way we wanted, but physically the effort was noticeable and they are very good," the Villarreal forward added.
Villarreal had looked a shadow of themselves in the first leg at Anfield, but were a completely different team in Spain.
"We showed that we didn't arrive here for no reason," coach Unai Emery told reporters, disappointed that his team could not maintain the same rhythm after the break.
"We followed our plan, made an amazing first half but we ran out of gas in the second half. There was no more strength left to respond as they came out much better after the break."
Villarreal v Liverpool ratings
-
VILLARREAL RATINGS: Geronimo Rulli – 1. The Argentine never looked secure. He let Fabinho’s shot go through his legs for Liverpool's first goal and should have done better for the second. His ridiculous charge out of his area for the third underlined a dreadful performance. AP -
Juan Foyth – 4. Started badly with a poor back pass but stabilised his play for the first 45 minutes. Things went downhill when Diaz came on after the break. Getty -
Raul Albiol – 5. The 36-year-old showed surprising pace to catch Jota in the first half. His use of space was impressive but he could not deal with Liverpool’s movement after the break and made way for Aurier with 11 minutes to go. PA -
Pau Torres – 5. The Spaniard was efficient to a point but found himself overwhelmed in the latter stages. He did not get enough support from the midfield. Getty -
Pervis Estupinan – 3. The Ecuadorian sent in a superb cross for the opening goal but found life uncomfortable as Salah and Alexander-Arnold got on top. The first two Liverpool goals came down his side. PA -
Giovani Lo Celso – 4. The Argentina international was effective when his team were in the ascendency but shrunk when their dominance faded. Bright start, disappointing overall. EPA -
Dani Parejo – 3. The Spaniard was the least impressive member of the midfield in the first half and was even less influential afterwards. By the end he was being bypassed with ease. AP -
Etienne Capoue – 4. The Frenchman got behind Robertson at the back post to set up the opening goal and turned the Scot easily for the second. He could not keep up the good form and was sent off for two yellow cards with five minutes to go. EPA -
Francis Coquelin – 5. The French midfielder had a good first half. He levelled the scores on aggregate with a header but reverted to his first-leg form after the break and made way for Pedraza with 22 minutes to go. PA -
Gerard Moreno – 3. The Spain striker was struggling with a thigh injury and it showed. His tendency to wander offside spoilt a number of attacks. He was replaced by Chukwueze in the 68th minute. AP -
Boulaye Dia – 5. The 25-year-old set the tie alight with his third-minute goal and he caused the defence some problems early on. It did not last and he became less effective as the game went on. He was withdrawn for Alcacer with 10 minutes left. AP -
SUBS: Alfonso Pedraza – 5. The winger came on for Coquelin in the 68th minute. The game was closing down and he was never in a position to open it up. Getty -
Samuel Chukwueze – 5. The Nigerian joined the action at Moreno’s expense in the 68th minute. He barely troubled Liverpool. AFP -
Serge Aurier – 5. The Ivorian entered the game with 11 minutes to go for Albiol. He joined a defence that was dispirited and he could not arrest the chaos. AFP -
Manu Trigueros – 5. The 30-year-old replaced Estupinan with 11 minutes to go. He tried to get some forward momentum going but his passing was poor. AP Photo -
Paco Alcacer – 5. The 28-year-old replaced Dia for the last 10 minutes. His was a thankless cameo with little memorable about it. AFP -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker – 7. The Brazilian was let down by his defence for the goals but, when he was needed, he stepped up. His one-on-one save from Lo Celso was brilliant. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6. The 23-year-old should have done more to stop Coquelin equalizing, and he had a rough first half. However, the value of his risk-reward approach was shown with his cross for the goal that made it 2-2. Getty -
Ibrahima Konate – 7. The Frenchman often starts slowly but grows into the game. This was never truer than in El Madrigal and he finished the match like a boss. Reuters -
Virgil van Dijk – 8. Chaos at the back? Two down? Then the Dutchman is the player to turn to. He was a calming influence when things were going wrong and a secure presence for the team. EPA -
Andrew Robertson – 6. The Scot was beaten at the back post by Capoue for Villarreal’s opening goal and flummoxed by the Frenchman for the second. It was not good but no player worked harder to recover from that nightmare first half. AFP -
Naby Keita – 6. The Guinean did not close down Estupinan quickly enough for the opening goal. He was so poor in the first half that it was surprising that he was not withdrawn. Instead, he made his mark after the break until substituted in the 79th minute for Henderson. AFP -
Fabinho – 7. The Brazilian was swamped in the opening period. Then, when the ball came to him in a crucial position, he shot with conviction and brought Liverpool back into the game. By the time Milner replaced him with six minutes left, he was running the midfield. PA -
Thiago Alcantara – 6. The 31-year-old sprayed the ball around in the first half – and not in a good way. He wasted possession repeatedly. Normal service was resumed after the break and he was replaced by Jones with 10 minutes to go. EPA -
Diogo Jota – 4. The Portuguese had one effort in the first half but was unable to make much impact on the game. He made way for Diaz at half time. Getty -
Mohamed Salah – 6. The striker was given extra attention by the defence but still caused problems. Diaz would not have had so much room had Villarreal not been keeping one eye on the Egyptian. Getty -
Sadio Mane – 7. The Senegalese took a rugged approach that, initially, seemed not to work. His relentless effort wore the defence down and his reward was Liverpool’s third goal. AFP -
SUBS: Luis Diaz – 9. The Colombian replaced Jota at half-time and changed the game. His goal was the least part of an epic performance that undermined Villarreal. Getty -
Jordan Henderson – 6. The 30-year-old came off the bench for Keita in the 79th minute. His experience was useful but the game was over by the time he arrived. AP Photo -
Curtis Jones – 6. The 21-year-old joined the action in place of Thiago with 10 minutes left. He forced a good save from the goalkeeper. Getty Images -
Kostas Tsimikas – 6. The Greek was given 10 minutes for Robertson. He did what was necessary in his short cameo. AP Photo -
James Milner – 6. The 36-year-old is the perfect man to lock down a result. He came on for Fabinho and did exactly what was expected. AFP
Moreno, who has missed a chunk of this season, including the first leg in England, due to injury was substituted early in the second half.
"We go out with our heads held high," he said.
"Our fans believed in us from the moment we arrived and we did our best to get to the final. People thought we weren't going to be able to get here. The word that best defines this team is pride."
Liverpool face the winners of the second semi-final, where Manchester City hold a slender 4-3 lead over Real Madrid, in the Paris final in May 28.
