Mac Allister double sparks Liverpool’s thrilling comeback win against Villarreal

Andoni Iraola and Iñigo Pérez parked their long and close friendship in the buildup to the Champions League duel between two old Athletic Bilbao teammates. They will have a humdinger of a contest to dissect when communications are restored. Liverpool, driven by Alexis Mac Allister and ignited by Rio Ngumoha, recovered from two goals down against Villarreal to maintain their 100% record in the competition in emphatic style.

Mac Allister struck twice as Liverpool fought back from a tepid start to record a third successive win in all competitions. They were given a scare when Tani Oluwaseyi volleyed in a late third for Villarreal but were well deserving of their latest impressive result.

The regular phone calls between Iraola and Pérez had eased off as their first competitive confrontation as coaches approached. Iraola could have advised his close friend to bring a coat had they kept in touch. It had rained incessantly in Liverpool all day yet the Villarreal head coach opted for a short-sleeved polo shirt on the touchline. A brave move, although he would have been warmed by his team’s potent start against a much-changed host.

Liverpool’s expensive attacking trio of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola were all on the bench as Iraola made six changes to the side that beat Brentford on Saturday . A fourth game in 10 days explained the omissions of Wirtz and Barcola, who had featured heavily in the previous three, while Isak’s workload was being carefully managed after his recent thigh injury. The rotation resulted in a second successive Champions League start for Trey Nyoni and Ryan Gravenberch shifting forward into Wirtz’s number ten role.

Iraola’s rejigged team did not have time to find their rhythm before falling behind. An error-strewn start by Van Dijk was responsible, and also in keeping with a ponderous opening half hour from Liverpool in which Villarreal passed their way around Anfield with style and precious little resistance.

The Liverpool captain presented Georges Mikautadze with an opportunity as early as the second minute when he misjudged a long clearance out of defence by Renato Veiga. Van Dijk’s poor touch almost released the Georgia international striker through on goal but Jérémy Jacquet was across quickly to close off that route. Van Dijk’s second slip followed moments later, and this time there was no reprieve. The defender attempted to head another Veiga long ball back into the safe arms of Alisson. He found Mikautadze instead and Villarreal’s number nine pounced expertly, controlling well before rolling the ball under the Liverpool keeper. There were apologies all round from Van Dijk.

Villarreal doubled their lead with a goal that encapsulated the start made by both teams, the visitors passing their way through Liverpool’s midfield and picking holes in their high defensive line, with the home side slow to react. Pape Gueye, Alberto Moleiro and Nathan Saliba all combined to send their rampaging left back, Sergi Cardona, clear of the Liverpool backline. Played onside by Kostas Tsimikas, the full-back beat Alisson with a finish a striker would have been happy with.

Cardona’s defending was much less impressive as Liverpool, stung more by their own performance than the groans of the Anfield crowd, clawed their way back into the contest before half-time. The recovery commenced when Mac Allister rose superbly to meet a Tsimikas corner and flicked an unstoppable header into the unguarded side of Peter Gulacsi’s goal. The former Liverpool keeper could only stand and admire the midfielder’s header, while asking where a Villarreal challenge was.

Villarreal had bigger questions to answer when their once comfortable lead vanished entirely with the final kick of the first half. The visitors had dealt with another corner from Tsimikas when Rio Ngumoha gathered possession and clipped a cross towards the far post. Cardona checked his surroundings, then inexplicably let the ball bounce behind him. And right into the spot where Ronald Araújo was lurking. The on-loan defender headed home for the second successive week in the Champions League and celebrated with a mass pile-on with fans in the Anfield Road Stand.

Araújo failed to appear for the second half as Iraola introduced Wirtz and moved Gravenberch once again, this time to right back. The Liverpool head coach must have been sorely tempted to shake things up more, such was the paucity of his team’s first half display, but his half-time switch and demands sufficed. Liverpool improved vastly after the restart with Ngumoha and Wirtz a constant threat. Pérez’s substitutions were less impactful and the former Newcastle forward Ayoze Pérez was the object of his ire on several occasions.

Ngumoha took the acclaim of the Kop after creating Mac Allister’s second of the night with a sparkling run down the right. It was some one-two that brought Liverpool the lead. Mac Allister floated a pass out to the 18-year-old winger, whose first touch brought the ball under control and took him away from Cardona in the same movement. He then left the substitute Juan Foyth in his wake before pulling back a pass from the byline for the incoming midfielder to smash a shot in off the underside of Gulacsi’s crossbar.

Wirtz completed the comeback, continuing his own recent improvement, after Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo had combined to create space for the playmaker inside the area. The Germany international drilled a clinical left-foot finish inside the Villarreal keeper’s far corner.