Liverpool survived a scare from the Spanish side Villarreal to secure a place in the final of the UEFA Champions League after a hard fight to turn things around and score three goals in less than forty minutes. The English Premier League side came from two goals to claim a 3-2 win at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday. The Reds went behind in the third minute with Boulaye Dia netting the opener for the home team.
Former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin outjumped Trent Alexander-Arnold to float a header into the net four minutes before the halftime break leveling the scores on aggregate 2-2. Fabinho restored Liverpool’s advantage in the tie in the 62nd minute when his near-post shot flashed through Geronimo Rulli. Substitute Luis Diaz then restored the visitors’ two-goal cushion from Alexander-Arnold’s cross five minutes later to make the scores 4-2 on aggregate.
Sadio Mane gave Liverpool the lead for the first time in the contest in the 74th minute making it 3-2 and 5-2 on aggregate. Etienne Capoue was sent off for Villarreal in the final five minutes following a second bookable offense on Curtis Jones. Liverpool will now face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final on May 28 at Saint-Denis’s Stade de France in Paris.