Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal: Two down, who cares
Liverpool v Villarreal · Champions League · 20 October 2026
Anfield went 2-0 down inside half an hour and won it anyway, with Mac Allister scoring twice and Rio Ngumoha tormenting everyone in a yellow shirt.
Seven goals at Anfield, and a rotated Liverpool side came from two down to win it. Mac Allister scored twice, Araújo and Wirtz got the others, and Rio Ngumoha set up two of them. Szymon Marciniak refereed. Three games, three wins, and the Reds sit second of 36 in the league phase.
What a comeback from the Reds. This side last year would have taken pity on themselves and started to feel sorry for themselves, and would never have fought back the way they did yesterday. I was so happy to see them pull themselves out of the 2-0 hole — getting level going into half time made the match feel so much more attainable for the Reds, and they eventually went on a 4-0 run to basically finish the game.
First half: two down and second best
The opening ten minutes were very poor. Van Dijk got a header away badly and we nearly conceded from it, and the warning didn’t take. Around the half hour Jacquet and Van Dijk were both caught out on the counter and it was 2-0.
The press wasn’t working. Villarreal passed around it far too easily to start with, and the midfield was getting overrun. There was no direct passing and no risk-taking in the final third either — everything went down the wings. The one bright spot early was the full-backs, who overlapped well and got some decent crosses in.
Then it turned. Mac Allister headed one back, and Rio Ngumoha created the second, picking out Araújo at the back post to make it 2-2 at the break.
The xG split backs up how it felt: Villarreal edged the first half 1.15 to 0.83.
Last year we would have folded after a start like that. This year we came back.
I have not seen a worse sequence of defending from Virgil in all my time watching him. It is one of those that, because of the player he is and the quality he has, you will forgive him for — but it certainly brings his age into question, having turned 35 this summer. Otherwise it was a good night for the Reds, and the press tended to pick up as the game went on for the most part.
Second half: the intensity arrived
Wirtz came on for Araújo to attack the game, and Gravenberch moved to right-back — where he played great all second half.
And then it was the Rio show. He took on everyone, got triple and quadruple teamed, and kept creating anyway. Wirtz found the back of the net, and there were chances beyond that too. He looks genuinely inspired in the last couple of matches.
Barcola came on for Rio, Gomez for Jacquet, Isak for Koumas, and Nyoni was replaced by McConnell — Nyoni was class, and unlucky not to score.
Then Liverpool conceded late to make it 4-3, and a comfortable finish became anything but.
The second half numbers are the mirror image of the first: Liverpool 1.54 xG, Villarreal 0.45.
| Liverpool | Villarreal | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 3 |
| Half time | 2 | 2 |
| Possession | 53% | 47% |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.37 | 1.61 |
| Shots | 22 | 14 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 5 |
| Big chances | 3 | 3 |
| Corners | 7 | 2 |
Source: FotMob.
The right-back move was brilliant. We currently don’t have a healthy option there, so we were able to manufacture one with Gravenberch, and we took control of that area of the pitch once he was given the assignment.
Rio Ngumoha
Two assists, and the player every Villarreal defender was looking for. FotMob gave him 9.0; for me he was the man of the match outright.
Sky is the limit now for Rio. I can’t wait to see how far he can go and what he has in store next, as I feel there is a pretty good shout to have him start at Anfield on Sunday against Brighton. That would be a statement by the manager to the other wingers as well, with that appointment to the line-up. Only 18 years old — what a player.
The ratings
Mine on the left, FotMob’s model on the right — we did not agree on everything.
| Player | My rating | FotMob |
|---|---|---|
| Rio Ngumoha | 9.5 — MOTM, 2 assists | 9.0 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | 9 | 9.3 — 2 goals, FotMob’s MOTM |
| Cody Gakpo | 8 | 8.5 — 1 assist |
| Trey Nyoni | 8 | 7.9 |
| Ryan Gravenberch | 8 | 7.0 |
| Jérémy Jacquet | 8 | 6.5 |
| Ronald Araújo | 8 | 7.4 — 1 goal |
| Alisson | 7 | 5.7 |
| Lewis Koumas | 7 | 6.4 |
| Konstantinos Tsimikas | 7 | 8.4 — 1 assist |
| Virgil van Dijk | 6.5 | 5.6 |
Source: FotMob. Ratings on the right are FotMob’s own model.
Florian Wirtz, who came off the bench and scored, was given 8.7.
Worth noting where the gap is widest. FotMob was harder than me on Alisson (5.7), and much kinder to Tsimikas (8.4), who got an assist. On Van Dijk we more or less agreed.
Everything seems fairly consistent with my ratings, as I can see exactly why Ali and VD are so low for such poor performances.
The defending is becoming a theme
The defence was shaky, and the late third goal was the proof. It isn’t a one-off either.
Winning every game papers over it, but twelve scored and seven conceded in three European nights is not a defensive record that survives a harder opponent.
I am definitely worried about the defence, as it is something that does not get solved overnight, and I feel we need to shore up that side of the ball to ensure future success for the rest of the season.
Villarreal picked a bad night to start finishing
The preview made a lot of Villarreal being the most wasteful team in Spain — 22.43 xG and 13 goals in La Liga, the worst finishing in the division, and 7.7 points below what their chances were worth.
They scored three at Anfield from 1.61 xG.
Your line in the preview was that the form “will soon begin to round out and they will convert more of their chances as time goes on.” It took four days.
One caveat on those numbers: the La Liga figures come from Understat and the match figures from FotMob, and the two models disagree, so treat this as the pattern rather than a like-for-like comparison.
Where it leaves them
Three games, three wins, nine points, second of 36 behind PSG only on goal difference. Twelve scored, seven conceded.
Villarreal stay on three points, 19th, and their record against English clubs in the Champions League proper is now no wins in 17.
Brighton at Anfield on Sunday.
What a win at Anfield. Bring on the Seagulls, and let’s regain our league form at home this Sunday.