Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal: Mac Allister and Ngumoha inspire stunning Anfield comeback

Liverpool produced a memorable comeback in the Champions League, recovering from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield and maintain their perfect record in the league phase.

Villarreal seized control inside the first 29 minutes through goals from Georges Mikautadze and Sergi Cardona. But Alexis Mac Allister and Ronald Araujo had the scores level before the break.

Mac Allister then added his second of the night from a chance created by Rio Ngumoha, one of the stars of the evening, before Florian Wirtz doubled the advantage to lift spirits further. Tani Oluwaseyi's late strike proved little more than a consolation for the Spanish side.

Head coach Andoni Iraola, who made 6 changes from the side that beat 9-man Brentford, was dealt a major shock in the 4th minute. Mikautadze pounced on a misjudged header from Virgil van Dijk intended for Alisson and finished from a tight angle to put Villarreal ahead.

Liverpool tried to respond as Ngumoha caused problems down the right flank, but Villarreal doubled their lead. Cardona latched on to Nathan Saliba's defence-splitting pass and fired into the bottom-left corner to make it 2-0.

Liverpool hit back quickly, Mac Allister heading home Kostas Tsimikas's curling corner to halve the deficit. Then, in the closing stages of the first half, Araujo rose at the back post to meet a dangerous Ngumoha cross into the box and beat former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, sending the sides in level at 2-2.

The Reds started the second half on the front foot, with Cody Gakpo and Wirtz testing Gulacsi, while Trey Nyoni's powerful drive flashed just wide of the post.

Liverpool completed the turnaround shortly after the 60th minute. Ngumoha, who tormented the Villarreal defence all night, delivered a pinpoint cross and Mac Allister turned the ball in off the crossbar to put Liverpool 3-2 up.

Wirtz, still without a goal for Liverpool this season before the game, made it 4-2 in the 68th minute with a classy left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner. Villarreal pulled one back late on through Oluwaseyi from an Ayoze Perez pass, but Liverpool held on to make it 3 out of 3 in Europe this season.

Iraola experiences the Anfield magic on a Champions League night

Iraola, who had spoken before the game about the importance of making winning at Anfield a habit, may have feared the worst when his side fell two goals behind early on. Indeed, Cardona's goal at 28:08 marked the earliest Liverpool had trailed by two goals in European competition since their meeting with Borussia Dortmund in April 2016 (08:20). But the Anfield atmosphere on Champions League nights took centre stage once again, and the English giants secured an unforgettable victory.