Liverpool overturns 0‑2 at Anfield and leaves Villarreal without points
At Anfield, Villarreal went ahead 0‑2, but Liverpool responded with four consecutive goals to win 4‑3, with Alexis Mac Allister completing his brace and Florian Wirtz scoring the fourth in the 68th minute, three minutes after the Argentine's second.
According to the newspaper Deportivo El Villarreal, the club opened the scoring at the four‑minute mark thanks to Georges Mikautadze, the most expensive signing in its history. Sergi Cardona extended the lead to 0‑2 in the 29th minute. It was an ideal start for coach Íñigo Pérez, who arrived at Anfield competing for the bench with Mendilibar and Roberto Martínez.
Liverpool responded quickly. Alexis Mac Allister equalised with a header in the 36th minute and Ronald Araujo levelled in added time of the first half. The Argentine completed his brace in the 65th minute and, three minutes later, Oluwaseyi Florian Wirtz scored the fourth goal in the 68th minute.
Disallowed goal and its history
In the 87th minute, Tani scored, but the goal was disallowed. The striker had repeated the 87th minute by condemning Napoli (3‑1) last week at La Cerámica, although on that occasion his goal did count.
Liverpool finished with 22 shots, eight on target, compared with Villarreal's 12, which only managed two corners. Villarreal's first‑choice goalkeeper, Péter Gulácsi, conceded four goals in 32 minutes, from Mac Allister's header to Wirtz's strike.
Situation in the Champions League
Villarreal remains on three points after three matchdays of the Champions League group stage. The team lost 3‑2 to Dortmund and beat Napoli, conceding seven goals in its two European outings. It has only scored at home in this competition.
Villarreal's next fixture will be against PSG on November 3 in the fourth matchday. The Parisian side comes after a 4‑2 win over Barcelona on Tuesday, and Íñigo Pérez's bench is once again under scrutiny.
The contrast between the early 0‑2 and the final defeat highlights Villarreal's defensive frailty at Anfield, while Liverpool showed its ability to respond. Both situations shape the group narrative and raise questions about the Spanish team's continued performance.