On Wednesday, Liverpool registered a 2-0 win over Villareal in the 2021-22 UCL semis first leg. Meanwhile, Juen Klopp has dubbed the scoreline as 'dangerous'.
English giants Liverpool produced a commendable performance against Spanish colossi Villareal in the opening leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2021-22. Played at Anfield in Liverpool on Wednesday, The Reds won it 2-0. However, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp felt insecure with the scoreline and termed it 'dangerous'.
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The first half turned out to be competitive between the two, as it was locked goalless at half-time. Pervis Estupinan put Liverpool in the lead in the next half after conceding an own goal in the 53rd minute, while a couple of minutes later, Sadio Mané doubled the lead, thanks to Mohamed Salah's fine assist. Next Tuesday, both teams play the second leg at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Following the success, Klopp told reporters, "The way we played, defended very well, and attacked very well. We had to score goals. It was clear we had to keep going. Villarreal, in one moment, when they can get out of the press, they are immediately a threat. If we don't win the ball there, we are in between everything. We did that well most of the time."
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"Two-nil on aggregate, but it is half-time. No more, no less. Nothing has happened yet. If you play a game and are 2-0 at half-time, you have to be 100 per cent on alert. We know we will go there and it will be a tricky atmosphere for us. They deserve it if they beat us 2-0 over there and go to the final. If they don't, we deserve it," concluded Klopp.
Meanwhile, Villareal boss Unai Emery warned that Liverpool would be under more pressure in the return leg next Tuesday. Emery beat The Reds during the UEFA Europa League (UEL) 2016 final with Sevilla. He credited Liverpool for winning the match while hailing his side as the best in the opening half.
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"They had two or three chances to score. But the second half was the same, and they pushed and deserved to score. 2-0 is a big difference for them. For us, it's not a good result, but we will dream of doing something in our home with our supporters. The match next week will be very different to tonight's," noted Emery.
