Liverpool 3-0 Villarreal (agg: 3-1): Jurgen Klopp's stars shine at Anfield as Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana fire Reds into Europa League final
- Bruno Soriano put Liverpool level in the tie after just seven minutes, deflecting Roberto Firmino's shot into own net
- Daniel Sturridge made it 2-0 18 minutes into the second half, slotting past Alphonse Areola and in off the post
- Villarreal were reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining as Victor Ruiz was shown a second yellow card
- Adam Lallana turned the ball home from close range in the 81st minute to secure Liverpool's place in the final
- Liverpool will meet Sevilla in the Europa League final in Basel on May 18
The ball struck the inside of goalkeeper Alphonse Areola’s leg, the inside of the post, rolled along the goal-line and finally took the smallest right turn into the net.
They used to say The Kop sucked goals in at Anfield, but this was at the opposite end. Maybe there are other forces at work in this of all years.
Daniel Sturridge sprinted off towards the corner flag in joy and no little vindication. Excluded from the first leg, here he was with the goal that would take Liverpool to the Europa League final — and maybe to the Champions League, too.
Beat Sevilla and, along with the trophy, that is the prize. It would be a huge achievement in Jurgen Klopp’s first fragment of a season.
Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano can only turn Roberto Firmino's cross into his own net under pressure from Daniel Sturridge
England striker Sturridge celebrates the goal with Brazilian stars Philippe Coutinho and Firmino, as Liverpool drew level on aggregate
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp leads the wild celebrations after his side levelled the tie just seven minutes into the second leg
Sturridge slots home Liverpool's second goal to put Liverpool ahead in the tie for the first time, slotting home coolly from seven yards
Sturridge's delight was clear to see as his calm finish sparked wild celebrations at Anfield and put Liverpool on the brink of the final
Victor Ruiz is shown a red card for two bookings, as Villarreal wilted under the high pressure play of Klopp's side
Adam Lallana turns the ball home from a couple of yards out as Liverpool took advantage of 10-man Villarreal to seal their final place
Lallana is joined by Dejan Lovren as he celebrates the third goal that took the tie out of the reach of the Spanish side
They have done it the hard way, throughout. Not just chasing games but with the route they have taken to Basle.
In the last three rounds they have been paired with the toughest opponents. Manchester United, simply for the emotional charge of the fixture, then Borussia Dortmund, now Villarreal.
English clubs have a dismal record against La Liga opponents of late, but Liverpool swept them off the park, overturning a 1-0 deficit from last week and overwhelming them, physically and technically, too.
They were the better side in every aspect — but most strikingly in terms of athleticism. This was everything Manchester City in the Bernabeu on Wednesday was not.
Sturridge’s goal was the clincher, even if a third from Adam Lallana made certain of victory. It came after a lovely little pass from Roberto Firmino which left the striker one-on-one.
He got a bit of good fortune, true, but it was not undeserved. Liverpool were the best team on the night, there is no question of that.
Once central defender Victor Ruiz was sent-off for a second bookable offence — deliberately stepping on Lallana’s foot, a stupid and needless foul — it was all over. After 81 minutes, Lallana made sure.
Firmino, happier when not played as a central striker, broke down the right, cut the ball back, Sturridge couldn’t get a clean connection, but Lallana could, flicking the ball in from just in front of Areola as Villarreal appealed in vain for offside.
They were done, the Yellow Submarines sunk.
Adam Lallana looks to take advantage of a mistake by Alphonse Areola as the Villarreal made a nervy start to proceedings at Anfield
Soriano watches on in horror as he fails to get out of the way of Firmino's ball into the six-yard box, and diverts it into his own net
Sturridge turns away in celebration after Soriano had inadvertently turned in Firmino's cross to put Liverpool ahead on the night
Nathaniel Clyne plays the ball away from Denis Suarez as the home side made an excellent start against a nervous-looking Villarreal
Coutinho looks to bring the ball down under pressure from Tomas Pina as Liverpool took control of a tie they had trailed after the first leg
Justice has a different meaning to this club but, in simple football terms, this was it done.
Sevilla, already back-to-back Europa League winners, are a special force in this competition, but this is a special year for Liverpool, too.
A lot is made of the atmosphere at Anfield on European nights, and a lot was made of the wall of noise that Villarreal would face, as if it would be beyond their realm of experience.
Playing in a league that takes them to the Bernabeu, the Nou Camp as well as Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Vicente Calderon, and the south to play Sevilla, that is unlikely.
What they were not prepared for, however, was the intensity of Liverpool’s football. Lively stadiums are one thing but Villarreal will not have had too many teams in Spain coming at them the way Liverpool did.
Jurgen Klopp is creating a monster here, have no doubt of that, one that will only become more intimidating as he introduces more of his own men.
For now, he is working with what he inherited — and getting an outstanding level of performance from them, too.
Emre Can looks to grab the ball after being bundled over by former Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado as fouls became commonplace
Lallana fires just wide after latching onto a brilliant James Milner through ball and finding himself in behind the visiting defence
Firmino throws himself in front of an effort from Victor Ruiz, as Klopp's team demonstrated huge energy and determination at Anfield
The first half here was quite exceptional. High tempo, high energy, ferocious and just the right side of legal. It was a physicality that Villarreal were clearly not used to, though, their protests to Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai becoming ever more dramatic.
It was no Tottenham-Chelsea, but it did spark memories of previous clashes of culture in Europe. Everton versus Bayern Munich, in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup semi-final, for instance — the Germans banging on the dug-out roof in fury at the battering handed out by Andy Gray.
It wasn’t like that night with Everton’s aerial bombardment, but Villarreal were not used to being hassled the way Liverpool hassle. The speed, the intensity, no time on the ball, it unsettled them.
Marcelino, Villarreal’s manager, chased the fourth official down the sidelines at one time, but in the middle Kassai remained unmoved. The first name in the book was a Villarreal defender, Victor Ruiz, and when Nathaniel Clyne was ultimately cautioned it was only because Robert Soldado had exaggerated his pain with a succession of dramatic forward rolls. It was almost an act of appeasement, rather than discipline.
More comical was a clash between Soldado and Dejan Lovren in front of the dug-out. Clipped, accidentally, by Lovren’s arm in a tussle, Soldado fell dramatically. He then clutched Lovren’s shin, and the Liverpool player tumbled. He wouldn’t make it at Widnes, that much is certain.
Ultimately, though, Villarreal’s indiscipline couldn’t continue and with five minutes to go before half-time, Soldado kicked Philippe Coutinho long after the ball had gone and was deservedly shown the card he had been so hotly recommending for others.
Soldado grabs Dejan Lovren's leg, sending the Liverpool defender tumbling to the floor, after the pair came together
Villarreal players surround referee Victor Kassai before he shows Victor Ruiz a yellow card, as the game became increasingly bad-tempered
Cedric Bakambu, Villarreal's in-form striker, provided their main threat going forward, but on this occasion he fired straight at the keeper
Klopp makes a point to the fourth official as he and Villarreal manager Marcelino clashed in the technical area during the game
The irony was that, despite Liverpool’s domination, it was the visitors who forged the first chances of the game, and the first save. It came from Simon Mignolet after Soldado had chested the ball down to right-back Mario Gaspar. His low shot took a dangerous little deflection but Mignolet was equal to it, pushing the ball out to his right.
A minute later, good work from Denis Suarez — and a frivolous penalty appeal — ended with Jonathan Dos Santos shooting over. It proved a false dawn. A minute later Liverpool were ahead.
It was Clyne who set up the move with a cross from the right, flicked out by goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, but only to Robert Firmino, who sent the ball back across goal in the direction of Sturridge. It wasn’t struck cleanly and the Liverpool striker couldn’t make contact but his marker, a rattled Bruno Soriano, did and the Villarreal captain turned the ball into his own net.
James Milner, outstanding in the first leg, was in similar form here and after 14 minutes played a superb ball through to Adam Lallana, who should have done better but screwed his shot just wide.
Sturridge celebrates with his manager after his goal, which put Liverpool in control of the semi-final for the first time
Soriano keeps the ball away from Can, but Liverpool's high intensity meant there was little time or space for the men in yellow
Liverpool captain Milner shows the effects of a game-plan that saw the home side work hard from the first whistle until the last
Kolo Toure holds off the challenge of Bakambu as Liverpool minimised the threat provided by the Spanish side in the second leg
Villarreal were taken aback by the early onslaught, none more so than young goalkeeper Areola, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but first choice this season.
He missed the first leg and looked as if he would have preferred to miss this one, too, uncomfortable with the pressure and the athletic challenge of Liverpool’s front line.
He was lucky when, jumping high to collect a lofted pass, he clipped his own player and dropped the ball on impact with the ground. Referee Kassai presumed a foul and awarded a free-kick to the jittery Areola, sparing embarrassment.
Dead balls remained a problem, though, and when Areola and his central defenders missed a Milner corner after 24 minutes, Tomas Pina just got his head in with Emre Can looking to convert at the far post.
Lovren tested Areola with a header from another Milner corner seven minutes later, but this was tamer fare, as was a shot from Milner after a sweet reverse pass from Firmino soon after half-time.
Before the game Liverpool fans paid tribute to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster following last week's inquest verdict
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