Uefa Europa League: Villarreal strike late to dent Liverpool hopes, Sevilla grab draw in Donetsk
Adrian Lopez’s stoppage-time winner puts Villarreal on the verge of reaching their first ever Cup final with a 1-0 win
Adrian Lopez’s stoppage-time winner put Villarreal on the verge of reaching their first ever Cup final with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
A counter-attack in the 92nd minute doesn’t make too much sense to be honest, but it’s only the first leg. We had no luck today and they know how strong we are at Anfield
A game of few chances was decided by a brilliant goal at the death as Denis Suarez unselfishly squared for substitute Lopez to tap home from close range.
Roberto Firmino fired Liverpool’s best chance against the post in the second-half as Juergen Klopp’s men now need another famous European comeback at Anfield to reach the final in Basel on May 18.
Sevilla are well-placed to reach a third consecutive Europa League final as they drew 2-2 away at Shakhtar Donetsk in the other semi-final.
Klopp was left frustrated at the manner at which Liverpool conceded late on having been seconds away from a creditable draw that would have given them the upper hand heading into the return leg.
“A counter-attack in the 92nd minute doesn’t make too much sense to be honest, but it’s only the first leg. We had no luck today and they know how strong we are at Anfield.”