68 2GM Thursday April 28 2022 | the times
SportChampions League: Semi-final, first leg
four. Salah turned and found Mané
with a threaded pass, and the Senegal-
ese was just onside. Rulli advanced but
Mané touched the ball past him and in.
Anfield was now at its deafening,
scarf-twirling best. Liverpool attacked
again. Robertson was rightly denied by
the offside flag. Van Dijk fizzed in a shot
that Rulli was relieved to push away.
With 18 minutes remaining, Hender-
son departed to loud applause.
At the final whistle Henderson
walked around the pitch, saluting the
fans. He knows how much work is to be
done, but Liverpool’s heartbeat
underpins their momentum.Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson 7 — T Alexander-Arnold
7 (J Gomez 81min), I Konaté 7, V van Dijk 8,
A Robertson 8 — J Henderson 8 (N Keïta 72),
Fabinho 7, T Alcântara 8 — M Salah 7, S Mané 8
(D Jota 73), L Díaz 8 (D Origi 81).
Booked Van Dijk.
Villarreal (4-4-2): G Rulli 5 — J Foyth 6, R Albiol 6,
P Torres 6, P Estupiñán 5 (M Trigueros 72) —
G Lo Celso 6, E Capoue 5, D Parejo 5 (S Aurier 72),
F Coquelin 5 (A Pedraza 57, 6) — S Chukwueze 5
(B Dia 72), A Danjuma 5 (P Alcacer 86).
Booked Estupiñán, Lo Celso.
Referee S Marciniak (Pol). Att 51,586Just as Liverpool
appeared to be
growing
frustrated at
their failure to
make a
breakthrough,
their opening
goal came in
bizarre fashion.
After fine work
from Thiago
Alcântara, Jordan
Henderson, left,put in a cross
that took a
deflection off the
defender Pervis
Estupiñán. The
goalkeeper
Gerónimo Rulli
got a hand to the
ball but flapped it
into his own net,
right. Sadio Mané
doubled their
lead 133 seconds
later, belowJordan Henderson is the heartbeat of
Liverpool, the driven, driving leader
whose hunger for the ball, for victory
and for trophies is undimmed at 31
years of age. Maybe he hears the clock
ticking louder, maybe he sees the rivals
pushing for his place, but Henderson’s
importance to the team he captains so
proudly was again powerfully on show
here at Anfield.
Liverpool could have been frustrated
at Villarreal’s defensive approach and
clever organisation. They could have
grown aggrieved at the referee’s failure
to clamp down on the visiting goalkeep-
er’s time-wasting. They could have be-
come concerned about how they were
going to break through this team, so
well prepared by Unai Emery, who had
seen off Juventus and Bayern Munich.
For all the romance served up around
Villarreal, their lack of adventure was
reflected in final stats showing that
they made only one attempt on goal.
Liverpool had 20.
Emery has done well getting Villar-
real punching above their weight, and it
needs remembering they were missing
the injured Gerard Moreno, but
they came only to contain,
and managed it for a half
before Henderson took
command. Liverpool
have a history of
captains taking charge
after the break in key
Champions League
moments. If Henderson’s
response after the interval
was not quite in the seismic
league of Steven Gerrard in the
Istanbul final in 2005, his influence
was still key.
Others more than played their parts
here, including Thiago Alcântara,
keeping moves ticking over with short
pass or long pass; the Spaniard’s vibrant
form has come at the perfect time. Also
prominent, inevitably, were Mohamed
Salah, with his dribbling and incisive
passing, Andrew Robertson, with his
relentless commitment to attacking
down the left, and Virgil van Dijk,
ensuring that Liverpool kept their third
successive clean sheet.
Others will take the plaudits and the
headlines, and Thiago was named man
of the match, but the catalyst for Liver-
pool’s winning response was Hender-
son. He won all four of his tackles. He
contributed to both goals, which trans-
formed the feel of this tie. He crossed to
force Pervis Estupiñán’s own goal. Cov-
entry City fans of a certain age will
remember fondly Henderson’s asser-
tive wing play as an 18-year-old on loan
from Sunderland. He was then involved
in the build-up to Sadio Mané’s deft
finish, which makes next week’s trip to
Spain look less troublesome.
The sense that Jürgen Klopp’s side
will find a way permeates Anfield. Liv-
erpool’s impassioned support was seen
and heard with tumultuous scenes
following the team bus as it edged into
Anfield, and the noise was sustained in-
side. They watch players like Hender-
son, taking each challenge as it comes,
each game as it comes, and see some-
body focused on each task in hand, an
approach that may lead to a Quadruple.
Henderson is too experienced and con-
centrated to talk up the possibility of
the fab four but he is essential to the
Liverpool
Estupiñán (og) 53, Mané 55Villarreal
2
0
Henderson’s iron will to win
momentum required. It is crazy to
think that a player who has lifted the
Champions League and Premier
League trophies, and who has been
capped 69 times by England, is still not
fully appreciated.
Henderson was substituted for Naby
Keita, having turned the game and run
himself into the ground. His work rate
has always been supreme — the
stamina acquired as a schoolboy run-
ner — but it was his determination that
mattered most here after that stale-
mate of a first period.
The sight of Estupiñán and Francis
Coquelin high-fiving at the break,
having resisted everything Liverpool
threw at them for 45 minutes, high-
lighted the organisation and belief that
Emery has instilled in the Spanish side.
Villarreal were assisted by the Polish
referee, Szymon Marciniak, failing to
hurry up their goalkeeper, Gerónimo
Rulli, whose time-wasting was only
marginally more subtle than Jordan
Pickford’s during the Merseyside derby
at the weekend. Even when Fabinho
said something to Marciniak after 17
minutes, as Rulli delayed another goal
kick, the official seemed oblivious to
Villarreal’s tactics. Ironic laughter and a
few jeers could be heard on the Kop
when only an additional minute of
stoppage time was announced. The
match against Everton actually proved
good preparation for Liverpool, for
another game of patience.
Marciniak also overlooked the grap-
pling at corners, Pau Torres on Ibrahi-
ma Konaté and Juan Foyth
holding Van Dijk; on it went
unchecked. Liverpool still
forced chances. Mané
headed wide from Salah’s
cross. Luis Díaz had the
measure of Foyth and
was soon cutting inside,
bringing two saves from
Rulli. On it went.
Henderson sent a volley
against the post. Salah
curled a shot over.
Liverpool stayed patient, stayed
focused on finding a way. Mané’s shot
deflected wide. Then Liverpool put
together a magnificent, one-touch
passing move, Robertson to Trent
Alexander-Arnold to Salah, whose
volley flew over. The half finished with
Thiago striking a 25-yarder against
Rulli’s right-hand post.
With Henderson to the fore,
Liverpool raised the tempo, went for
Villarreal even quicker, and stormed
into a two-goal lead within ten minutes
of the restart. It was a remarkable
turnaround, and Villarreal’s fans stood
there stunned and silent as their de-
fence was opened up. It was like Liver-
pool were making up for lost time.
Fabinho had an effort ruled out for a
Van Dijk offside, but Liverpool simply
would not be denied. Henderson was
key, twice involved in the opening goal
after 53 minutes. Robertson was always
alert to forward possibilities and
ventured upfield from left back again,
triggering a move taken on by Thiago
and then Mané, and across to Hender-
son on the right. Liverpool’s captain
passed to Salah, and ran on down the
inside-right channel, taking the return
from the Egyptian.
He whipped in a cross, the ball
catching Estupiñán and diverting past
Rulli and in. Henderson ran off cele-
brating, almost laughing. If there was
an element of fortune about Liverpool’s
first, there was nothing lucky about
their second. Again Henderson was in-
volved on the right, this time collecting
possession after Salah and Mané had
linked. Henderson passed to Alexan-
der-Arnold and Mané made his move,
running towards Villarreal’s flat backHenry Winter
Chief Football
Writer
Villarreal v
Liverpool
Second leg
Kick-off: 8pm
Tuesday, May 3
TV: BT SportVillarreal hand
hosts the lead
Klopp hails ‘outstanding’
side but warns of ‘danger’
continued from back
intense for the opponent to defend us.
For us the challenge was that we really
had to stay positive and try and fail and
try and fail, but keep trying in the same
mindset, and that’s what we did. The
goals we scored were outstanding. I
loved them, loved them.
“It is a dangerous scoreline. How
much work is left to do? The full work.
Nothing has happened yet, that is how
it is. It’s 2-0 at half-time and you have to
be completely on alert and 100 per cent
in the right mood.
“We know we go there and it will be
a tricky atmosphere for us. These
players saw that tonight — this coach,
they fight for it with all they have.”
Liverpool’s dominance was under-
lined by the fact they launched94 attacks to Villarreal’s 15 and had 19
attempts at goal to their opponents’
one, which was the joint-fewest shots in
a Champions League semi-final —
along with Inter Milan versus Barcelo-
na in 2010 — since the data became
available in 2003-04.
Liverpool also made 51 ball recover-
ies as their attacking intent was backed
up with an unstinting work ethic.
Having lost in the final in 2018 and
won the competition the following
year, Liverpool will be overwhelming
favourites to progress to the showpiece
in Paris on May 28.
“We would have liked one more but a
clean sheet and two goals, we can’t
argue with that,” the left back Andrew
Robertson said.
“It is the semi-final of the Champions
League. If you can’t run around for 90