Villarreal vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Europa League
The first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final between Villarreal and Liverpool ended in a 1-0 victory for the side from La Liga after a close-fought encounter.
An even first half saw Joe Allen and Tomas Pina both have brief glimpses of goal, but clear chances were hard to come by, and the first half ended goalless. Cedric Bakambu hit the post within a minute of the restart, while Roberto Firmino did likewise just after the hour mark at the other end. All the main goalmouth action happened in the final two minutes—with Adrian Lopez netting from close range in stoppage time to give the home side the win.
Here are all our winners and losers from El Madrigal on Thursday.
Winner: Bruno Soriano
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Bruno, quite simply, ran the game from midfield.
Always available to take possession, always with time on the ball and with the vision and execution to pick firm, fast passes between the lines, he was the man who put Villarreal on the front foot most frequently. He was also the first player his defenders looked for to instigate attacks from deep.
As combative and committed as ever when his team were out of possession, he ensured the two-man midfield of Villarreal enjoyed spells in control against the three of Liverpool and was always quick to spot spaces on the diagonal.
Loser: Daniel Sturridge
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Left on the bench in one of the biggest games of the season, Daniel Sturridge would have hoped recent form and goals would get him the call for the game at El Madrigal.
Not so, as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp opted to play Roberto Firmino as a roving centre-forward, often leaving the Reds with no focal point in attack but upping the numbers of bodies they could get between Villarreal's midfield and attacking lines.
Worse still was, when Klopp finally replaced Firmino with an out-and-out striker with just a couple of minutes left on the clock, it was fit-again Christian Benteke who got the nod over Sturridge, who had to make do with a watching brief.
Winner: Kolo Toure
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With Mamadou Sakho unavailable to Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp had to decide between Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure to partner Dejan Lovren at the back. He sided with the latter—and was rewarded with an excellent display from the veteran Ivorian.
Toure was exceptional with his positional work in the first half, especially in the opening 20 minutes when the home side dominated possession and tried to pass from deep into the box.
A series of determined interventions and brave blocks marked him out as the most involved defender in the game for the most part. And his experience, as much as his quality, told over 90 minutes. One moment of disorganisation elsewhere in the defence cost Liverpool, with a pass over Toure's head leaving no cover centrally to block off a cross.
Loser: Jurgen Klopp
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Both managers came with a similar game plan, if not tactical deployment: Keep things tight, don't overcommit players forward and try to bide time in creating chances and take the draw if necessary.
It almost went exactly the right way for both, but Adrian's goal in stoppage time tilts the tie hugely in favour of Villarreal and Marcelino.
Games such as this one are always finely poised and balanced, and the smallest of margins dictates who, ultimately, got it right or wrong—the luck fell the home side's way on this occasion and gives Klopp and his team much to get right in the return leg as a result.
Winner: Denis Suarez
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Denis Suarez was the biggest attacking threat on the pitch throughout the match, running the channels well on both sides and making a series of darting runs infield to take on defenders and open up spaces.
He was excellent at finding the few gaps between the lines to take possession and turn quickly, and though he couldn't always make an incisive pass into the box, he kept turning Liverpool around and was one of the few midfield options running behind the opposition defence.
Late on it was anticipation, speed and timing which saw Villarreal win the match—with Denis unselfishly laying on the winning goal for Adrian.
