Villarreal clash should serve as a warning to Liverpool in quadruple quest

• Liverpool should learn from the first half against Villarreal should they want to avoid putting their quadruple quest in danger
• Villarreal dominated the 45 minutes scoring two goals to overwrite the 2-0 first-leg defeat to Liverpool at Anfield
• The Reds however changed the cards in the second half coming back to score three goals and seal the tie but they should go home with lessons from the match

For the first 45 minutes on Tuesday night, it looked as though Liverpool’s quadruple bid was going up in the most emphatic of flames, thanks to a staggering play by Villarreal.

Their 2-0 lead from the first leg of their Champions League semi-final was ruthlessly picked apart by Villarreal, who restored parity with goals from Boulaye Dia and, remarkably, Francis Coquelin in a dominant first half by the hosts.

Statistically, it was the worst half of football Liverpool has played this season. There were no shots on target and their 66% passing accuracy was the lowest they had managed in any of the first halves of this campaign.

Villarreal midfielder Francis Coquelin leads his teammates in celebrating after scoring the second for Villarreal against Liverpool in the Champions League clash. | PHOTO: Getty Images |

They were absolutely battered and deserved whatever hairdryer treatment manager Jurgen Klopp opted to give out. Not only were their quadruple hopes in the balance, but they were being embarrassed by the very side they had thumped just a week earlier at Anfield.

Whatever Klopp said, it clearly worked as Liverpool came flying out of the blocks, bagged three goals, and secured what ends up going down as a comfortable route to the Champions League final for the Reds.

To be frank, it was anything but comfortable, and this must serve as a reminder to Liverpool; if you’re striving for an unprecedented four-trophy haul, you cannot afford one single slip-up.

This tie looked over after the first leg, and perhaps complacency snuck in. Perhaps Liverpool had an eye on Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Tottenham, but Villarreal proved to Klopp’s men that they cannot afford to do that against the reigning Europa League champions.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane celebrates after scoring the third against Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday, May 3 2022. | PHOTO: Getty Images |

At this stage in the season, with so much on the line, anything less than 100% is just not going to cut it. Their bid to go down as the greatest club side of all time is on the line, and such an honour requires near-perfection each and every time you step on the pitch.

For Klopp, the quest now is to figure out what happened in the first half and, more importantly, how to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

The showing from this second half – high tempo, aggressive and efficient – is what we’ve come to expect from Liverpool this season, and those qualities need to be on show for each and every minute between now and the end of the campaign if Liverpool wants to write their names in the history books.

They are still to play in the FA Cup finals against a Chelsea side they have failed to defeat since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge. Despite being in some poor form, Klopp knows the only side that can deny them the quadruple first is Chelsea FC as the FA Cup finals come before the UEFA Champions League final.