Let us look at the major talking points from the action-packed encounter between Liverpool and Benfica at Anfield:
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Liverpool appeared to have done their job in the first leg last week when they won 3-1 at Benfica in the Champions League quarterfinals. The second leg was considered a mere formality by experts until the Portuguese side made an impressive comeback in the final period of the match. It all started with Ibrahima Konate opening the scoring for Liverpool through a header from a corner after 21 minutes. But immediately after that Goncalo Ramos equalised for the Lisbon side. A Roberto Firmino double in the second half seemed to have done the trick for Liverpool, however, Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez made it 3-3 in the end. The aggregate 6-4 win was enough for Jurgen Klopp’s side to set up a semifinal showdown with Villarreal.
Let us look at the major talking points from the action-packed encounter between Liverpool and Benfica at Anfield:
For the Benfica clash, the Liverpool manager made a lot of changes to the Starting XI from the weekend Manchester City clash. The back four was completely changed with the exception of Joel Matip, who started both games. There were changes in the other areas of the pitch as well, but it was in defending where Liverpool looked out of sorts on Wednesday night. Benfica scored three at Anfield and could have scored more on a night when both teams had plenty of chances.
Speaking about it, Klopp, in his post-match press conference, said, “I didn’t see the offside situations back, but it is part of defending to put the opponent offside. Tonight that didn’t work out too well, we have to admit, but that’s my fault because I changed seven times.” Luckily for Klopp, the Reds just about did the job to get over the line.
READ MORE – Liverpool vs Benfica: UCL quarterfinal test passed for Jurgen Klopp’s men
When the Champions League quarterfinal draw was made, Liverpool were labeled as the overwhelming favourites in this tie. They were expected to walk past Benfica. However, the Portuguese side had other ideas. Even in the first leg, Benfica could have ended the match in a much better position if not for a late goal by Luis Diaz.
On the back of a healthy 3-1 lead, Liverpool were expected to see out their opponents comfortably in the second leg. But Benfica never gave in easily. They made life difficult for the home side from the start. They twice rallied from a deficit on the night. Notably, the way Benfica came back from 3-1 (6-2 aggregate) down to make it 3-3, in the end, was inspirational. They can now head out of the tournament with their heads held high.
The last 12 months will undoubtedly be regarded by Villarreal as one of the best periods of their football history. The club from northeastern Spain started an unlikely run in last season’s Europa League that saw them pull off multiple surprises, which included giant-killing acts against Arsenal in the semifinals and Manchester United in the final. Villarreal had never won a major trophy until they lifted the Europa League crown.
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This season, they survived a difficult group before pulling off major upsets against Juventus and Bayern Munich in successive rounds of the competition. They are also led by a world-class manager Unai Emery, who is an expert in winning European trophies. Emery has so far won four Europa League titles (three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal). Liverpool will have to be at the top of their game to get past a well-drilled Villarreal side in the semifinals.
