Liverpool blanks Villarreal in 1st leg of Champions League semis, eye 3rd final in 5 years

Liverpool looks like being one European giant too many for Villarreal.

A third Champions League final in five years is in sight for the English club after a 2-0 win in the first leg of the semifinals on Wednesday, secured after an own-goal by Pervis Estupinan and a poked finish by Sadio Mane in a two-minute span early in the second half.

Villarreal's fairytale run in the competition might be coming to an end. A team sitting in seventh place in the Spanish league and filled with players who failed to make it in England somehow managed to eliminate European royalty in Juventus and Bayern Munich in the knockout stage.

Liverpool, still on course for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies, was an even bigger step up and gradually dismantled the limited challenge of the visitors.

Still, it took the six-time European champions some time to make the breakthrough.

The power of Anfield on European nights tends to turn one goal quickly into two, and that's what transpired again.

Trent Alexander-Arnold fed a pass inside to Mohamed Salah in a central position and his slide-rule ball in behind the defence was latched onto by Mane, who toe-poked past Rulli with a sliding finish.

"The noise in here was incredible — it took us to the second goal," Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson said. "We would have liked one more, but a clean sheet and two goals — we can't argue with that."

The second leg takes place at Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday and only a major surprise will prevent Villarreal from bowing out at the semifinals stage, just like in 2006.

As for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has built a formidable winning machine that looks even more complete than the team which won the Champions League in 2019, a year after also reaching the