After barely half an hour, things were looking bleak for Andoni Iraola’s side. Villarreal had raced into a 2-0 lead, ruthlessly exploiting Liverpool’s uncharacteristic defensive errors. The hosts fought back to draw level before the interval, however, and completed the turnaround in the second half.
At the heart of that comeback was Ngumoha. The young winger had already been Liverpool’s most threatening attacker in the first half and went on to set up the goal that put Liverpool ahead after the break, his second assist of the evening.
Villarreal capitalise on Liverpool’s defensive mistakes
Liverpool’s first setback came in the fourth minute. Virgil van Dijk misjudged a header back towards Alisson, allowing Georges Mikautadze to react quickest and fire the visitors into the lead.
Liverpool continued to look vulnerable to long balls and quick attacks. Villarreal repeatedly found space behind the defensive line and doubled their advantage in the 29th minute. After a well-worked move, left-back Sergi Cardona found himself through on goal and finished calmly past Alisson.
Liverpool needed a set-piece to get back into the contest. In the 36th minute, Alexis Mac Allister headed home a Kostas Tsimikas corner to halve the deficit. Ronald Araújo then completed the first-half recovery in stoppage time, heading in Ngumoha’s inviting cross to make it 2-2.
Two assists put Ngumoha in Liverpool’s record books
Operating on the right wing, Ngumoha caused constant problems for Villarreal’s defence. His acceleration, close control and sharp changes of direction repeatedly allowed him to beat Cardona. Even with Liverpool two goals behind, the teenager continued to take on defenders without hesitation.
His defining contribution came in the 65th minute. Ngumoha skipped past several opponents on the right, drove into the penalty area and squared the ball for Mac Allister. The Argentine finished from close range, firing into the roof of the net to put Liverpool 3-2 ahead.
At 18 years and 52 days, Ngumoha became the youngest Liverpool player to register an assist in the Champions League. He also became the third-youngest player in the competition’s history to provide two assists in a single match, behind Warren Zaïre-Emery and Theo Walcott.
His individual statistics were equally impressive. Ngumoha completed seven of his eight attempted dribbles, recorded 12 touches in the opposition penalty area and created two big chances. His expected assists totalled 1.13 xA. When he was substituted in the 74th minute, he received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd.
Liverpool’s improved pressing turns the tide
Ngumoha was the standout performer, but Liverpool’s comeback was also the result of a collective improvement. After the interval, the hosts pressed Villarreal much higher up the pitch, pushed forward as a unit and gave the Spanish side far less time to build attacks.
Liverpool were also much quicker to react whenever they lost possession. Their improved counter-pressing kept Villarreal pinned inside their own half for extended periods and helped the Reds create a succession of chances.
The statistics reflected Liverpool’s superiority, although the margins were not overwhelming in every category. The hosts registered 22 shots to Villarreal’s 14 and led the expected goals count 2.37 to 1.58. The difference was more pronounced in touches inside the opposition penalty area, where Liverpool recorded twice as many as their opponents, and in successful dribbles, which finished 19-5 in the Reds’ favour.
Wirtz ends his goal drought
Florian Wirtz, introduced by Iraola at half-time in place of Araújo, provided another highlight in the 68th minute. Following a Liverpool ball recovery and a swift attack down the left, Cody Gakpo found the German, who guided a precise left-footed shot into the corner to make it 4-2.
It was Wirtz’s first goal since April. After a difficult few months, the strike will have been particularly welcome for the attacking midfielder.
Villarreal, however, refused to surrender. In the 87th minute, substitute Tani Oluwaseyi converted an Ayoze Pérez cross to reduce the deficit to 4-3. Liverpool held on to secure all three points.
With nine points from three matches, Liverpool retain their perfect Champions League record. Their attacking players, led by Ngumoha, Mac Allister and Wirtz, showed how quickly they can turn a game around. Defensively, though, questions remain. Van Dijk’s misplaced header, the problems dealing with long balls and three goals conceded at home are issues Iraola must address. Against stronger opposition, Liverpool cannot expect to recover from a two-goal deficit inside the opening half-hour every time.
