Mohamed Salah has revenge on his mind after admitting he would prefer Liverpool face Real Madrid in the Champions League final later this month.
Liverpool booked their place in the May 28 final after surviving a scare against Villarreal on Tuesday night. Leading 2-0 after last week's semi-final first leg at Anfield, the Reds found themselves 2-0 down at El Madrigal and the tie level at half time. However, second-half goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz, and Sadio Mane secured a 3-2 win on the night and a 5-2 aggregate victory to send the Premier League club through to their third European Cup final in five years.
The first of those finals, in 2018, ended in a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid which saw Salah exit the pitch injured and in tears following a heavy fall under a challenge by then Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.
A rematch with Madrid could be on the cards, with the recently-crowned La Liga champions facing Manchester City in the other semi-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. City hold a slender advantage after last Tuesday's epic 4-3 win at Etihad Stadium.
"I want to play Madrid," Salah, 29, told BT Sport. "City is a really tough team, we've played against them a few times this season. If you ask me personally, I'd prefer Madrid."
Asked if he wanted revenge against the Spanish side, Salah said: "We lost in the final against them, so I want to play against them and hopefully win it from them as well."
Tuesday's win in Spain means Liverpool remain on track of a historic quadruple and ensures the club will play in every match they could have potentially played this season. Having secured the League Cup in February, Liverpool are one point behind City in the Premier League table and will face Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Villarreal v Liverpool player 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
Salah said it was the character of Liverpool that allowed them to respond to going behind to Villarreal and keep alive their chase of a full sweep of trophies.
"It was tough in the first half but then we went to the dressing room, the gaffer [Jurgen Klopp] started talking and we talked to each other as well," the Egyptian forward said.
"That character and personality in the dressing room shows that we are a top team, so that's why we can strike back after losing 2-0 in the first half playing away.
"The quadruple is the target now," Salah added. "Maybe not at the start of the season. I am always honest and focus on the Champions League and Premier League. But now, why not?"
