Liverpool entertained Villarreal at Anfield earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a good result at home in the UEFA Champions League. The Reds made a slow start to the game and conceded the opener in the fourth minute when Georges Mikautadze found the back of the net. Sergi Cardona doubled Villarreal’s lead in the 29th minute before Alexis Mac Allister got a goal back for Andoni Iraola’s side in the 36th minute. Ronald Araujo equalised for the Reds in the first half injury time as the two teams went into the half-time break with a 2-2 scoreline.
Mac Allister scored again for Liverpool in the 65th minute before Florian Wirtz got his name on the scoresheet just three minutes later. Tani Oluwaseyi got a goal back for Villarreal in the 87th minute, but the Merseyside outfit hung on and secured a hard-fought 4-3 win in front of their home fans.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the clash against Villarreal.
GK: Alisson Becker – 6/10
He made a couple of good saves at the back, but would be disappointed after allowing three goals tonight.
RB: Ronald Araujo – 7/10
Araujo didn’t do much wrong defensively and managed to score the equaliser in the latter stages of the first half.
He got stuck in with some crunching tackles but failed to keep things solid at the back.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 5.5/10
Van Dijk earned possession back twice but made a costly error at the back.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 20: Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool runs with the ball away from Georges Mikautadze of Villarreal CF during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Liverpool FC and Villarreal CF at Anfield on October 20, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 8/10
He was caught out of position at times, but put in a lively performance inside the opponent’s half. Tsimikas has an assist to show for his efforts.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch – 7/10
Gravenberch worked hard on both halves but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
CM: Trey Nyoni – 7/10
He anchored the midfield well and made two good chances going forward.
RW: Rio Ngumoha – 9/10
Ngumoha made a lot of dangerous runs with the ball on the right flank and has a couple of assists to his name.
CAM: Alexis Mac Allister – 9/10
He ran the show well inside the Villarreal half and managed to score a brace tonight.
LW: Cody Gakpo – 8.5/10
Gakpo caused a lot of headaches for his marker and did well to secure an assist.
ST: Lewis Koumas – 6.5/10
He worked hard but never looked like he would score.
CAM: Florian Wirtz – 7.5/10
He combined well with his teammates and managed to score in the 68th minute with a composed finish.
ST: Alexander Isak – 6/10
His impact on the game was minimal.
CB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
Gomez failed to keep things solid at the back.
He struggled to influence the game.