Liverpool storm back from two down to beat Villarreal and stay perfect

Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Villarreal at Anfield on 20 October and protect a perfect start in the Champions League.

It finished as a win that keeps Liverpool on maximum points in the league phase, the new single-table format that replaced the old group stage. It was also a third win on the spin in all competitions, according to The Guardian.

Villarreal struck first and struck twice. Georges Mikautadze rolled the opener under Alisson after a mistake from Virgil van Dijk. Sergi Cardona then beat Alisson again to make it 2-0 to the visitors.

Liverpool looked rattled. The press was loose. The passing was rushed. Anfield went quiet in that way it does when it is waiting for a reason to erupt.

The reason arrived from the young and the familiar. Rio Ngumoha helped drag Liverpool back into the game, at one point dancing down the right wing to win a corner. Alexis Mac Allister then headed in from a Kostas Tsimikas corner to start the fightback.

Mac Allister did it again in the 65th minute. His second goal put Liverpool 3-2 up, a lead recorded in The Guardian’s live blog of the night. That strike capped a full midfield performance, all timing and nerve.

Villarreal refused to fold. Tani Oluwaseyi volleyed home a late third for the Spanish side to set up a frantic finish. Liverpool still found a way through it to take the points on Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 competition, a fixture listed by UEFA for 20 October at Anfield.

What makes this stand out is how much Liverpool changed and still won. Head coach Andoni Iraola made six changes from the side that beat Brentford. Trey Nyoni kept his place for a second successive Champions League start.

Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola were all on the bench. Isak’s minutes are being managed after a recent thigh injury. Liverpool lined up in a 4-3-3 with Alisson in goal, as listed by BBC Sport.

For fans, this means momentum with room to grow. The combinations are still fresh. The best players were rested and the kids stepped up.

There was a neat subplot on the touchline too. Iraola faced Villarreal coach Inigo Perez, a former Athletic Bilbao teammate. Two coaches who once shared a dressing room, now trading leads on a European night.

Anfield has heard comebacks before. This one was not the most famous, but it had that old electricity. Two down, loud again, and perfect in Europe.