Jurgen Klopp was apprehensive. He felt he needed more than motivational words, which are one of his fortes as a manager, to remind his players that their flimsy opening 45 minutes, their disjointed passing and pressing had been entirely out of character.
So he asked his analysts to seek out some video of what Liverpool had done well in the first half of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at Villarreal.
His back-up team filed quickly through the clips. But they had bad news for the Liverpool manager. They could find no sustained period of play that showed off Liverpool, one of the most in-form teams in Europe, doing what they do best. Klopp’s men had been outrun and out-thought by a Villarreal who were sharper, more energetic and more disciplined. “We played into their hands,” said Klopp. “Our movements were wrong.”
It was an extraordinary comeback from Villarreal. Two-nil down from an Anfield leg in which they had not had a legitimate shot on target, the team who sit seventh in La Liga, who come from a small, unfashionable town which is barely a pinprick on the map between Castellon and Valencia, had fought their way back to 2-2 on aggregate with 45 minutes left to play, with the home fans in the tight Estadio de la Ceramica noisily sharing their belief in a miracle recovery.
Had Unai Emery, the Villarreal manager, asked for encouraging highlights to be replayed to his players at half-time on Tuesday, he could have taken his pick from a dynamic first half. He could have shown Boulaye Dia, who would normally rank as his fourth or even fifth-choice to start up front, the expert way he put Villarreal 1-0 up on the night with not yet three minutes played. He could have replayed the second goal, from Francis Coquelin, as a demonstration of how to put both Liverpool’s dashing full-backs, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold in helpless difficulty in the same move.
He could have praised, with images and diagrams, how Villarreal’s closing down of space nullified Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara, who has been in imperial form lately, or how Diogo Jota had been left chasing shadows. For the first time in many months, Liverpool found themselves confronted with several clear failings. The club aspiring to a Quadruple were in quicksand.
Villarreal 2 Liverpool 3: player ratings
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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
Their reaction would be emphatic, however, albeit aided by some poor goalkeeping from Villarreal’s Geronimo Rulli, who allowed Fabinho’s driven shot and Luis Diaz’s header to squirm between his legs for two of Liverpool’s second-half goals and made a panicked run out of his penalty area to try, in vain, to clear a long ball headed for Sadio Mane. The Senegalese immediately sealed Liverpool’s progress to the Champions League final, 3-2 winners on an evening of startlingly different halves.
One half-time substitution would be crucial for Liverpool’s retaining control, and seizing the momentum. “The solution was that we moved more”, said Klopp acknowledging that replacing Jota with Luis Diaz was that catalyst. Diaz, signed from Porto in January, has made an impact again and again on Liverpool’s season in the last three months. His equaliser against Villarreal was his fifth goal since joining.
“We explained to the boys what we had to do to get stronger and move smarter,” said Klopp of the anxious half-time address to his players. “I was talking about playing football and showing up and being brave.
“After the first three minutes our mind wasn’t right. We were too rushed, you have to play your own football and in the second half we did that. In the first half we didn't move enough and couldn't find the half-spaces in midfield. We were too fixed, there was no flexibility so we had to mix that up to cause them problems. We had to change.”
A relieved Klopp had earned his own place in history, as the first manager to lead a club to the finals of a Champions League, and English League and FA Cups all in the same season. So far, the League Cup has been won. The top of the Premier League, led by Manchester City, is at one point’s distance. After an unsettling night in Spain, the clean sweep of prizes is still a live possibility.
