Liverpool beat Villarreal 2-0 at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
It was the first leg of the Champions League semi-final and The Reds made light work of their visitors.
They took the lead in the 53rd minute through Pervis Estupinan’s own goal before Sadio Mane doubled their lead two minutes later.
Liverpool dominated 74% of the possession and registered 19 shots in comparison to Villarreal’s one. A large part of their dominance was due to the excellence of their midfield.
In Fabinho they had one of the cleanest and most intelligent ball-winners in European football and in Thiago Alcantara they had one of the best ball-players in the game.
The Spaniard of Brazilian parentage completed 103 passes while maintaining a passing accuracy of 96.3%. He completed 34 final third passes and made nine perfect long balls. And he did it all with a remarkable creative flair. An amazing footballer.
Thiago, 31, joined Liverpool after seven trophy-laden years with Bayern Munich. He came through the youth system at Barcelona and is a Spanish international with 46 caps to his name.
Did you know? Liverpool didn’t pay £25m for Thiago Alcantara in summer 2020… but *less* than €25m! 🔴⭐️ #LFC
Top player, unbelievable signing.
His #UCL stats via @WhoScored:
▪️ 103 passes
▪️ 34 final third passes
▪️ 96.3% passing accuracy
▪️ 9 accurate long balls pic.twitter.com/G3vPEmIOlM— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 27, 2022
