Liverpool vs Villarreal: Reds Win 4-3 at Anfield

Liverpool vs Villarreal produced the most open game of the night at Anfield on Tuesday 20 October 2026, with Liverpool winning 4-3 in a seven-goal Champions League thriller. Villarreal scored first, led again and pulled one back late, yet Alexis Mac Allister’s two goals and a Florian Wirtz strike gave the Reds a third win from three league-phase games. This report follows our Liverpool vs Villarreal preview and covers the goals, line-ups and numbers.

What was the final score in Liverpool vs Villarreal?

Liverpool won 4-3, after the two sides were level at 2-2 at half-time. The match kicked off at 21:00 South African time (19:00 GMT) with Szymon Marciniak refereeing. In addition, it was matchday three of the league phase, so the win leaves Liverpool on nine points from three games. As a result, they stay unbeaten and sit second in the table.

Who scored in Liverpool vs Villarreal?

Alexis Mac Allister scored twice, and Ronald Araújo and Florian Wirtz added one each for Liverpool, while Georges Mikautadze, Sergi Cardona and Tani Oluwaseyi scored for Villarreal. First, Mikautadze gave the visitors the lead after only four minutes. Then Cardona made it 2-0 in the 29th minute from an assist by Nathan-Dylan Saliba.

However, Liverpool hit back before the break. Mac Allister pulled one back in the 36th minute from a Konstantinos Tsimikas assist, and Araújo levelled in stoppage time at the end of the first half with Rio Ngumoha supplying the pass. Next, Mac Allister scored his second in the 65th minute, again created by Ngumoha, to put Liverpool 3-2 up. Wirtz then made it 4-2 in the 68th minute after a pass from Cody Gakpo. Villarreal were not finished, and Oluwaseyi scored in the 87th minute from an Ayoze Pérez assist, so the final minutes were tense.

How did the game unfold?

Villarreal took control early, and the first half was a story of two comebacks. Mikautadze’s goal in the fourth minute silenced Anfield, and Cardona’s strike in the 29th minute doubled the lead. Meanwhile, Alberto Moleiro was booked in the 27th minute and Álvaro Mouriño in the 41st, which reflected how hard the visitors were working to protect their advantage. Even so, two Liverpool goals before the interval wiped out the deficit.

The second half belonged to the hosts. Wirtz had come on at the break for Araújo, and his arrival added pace and creativity between the lines. Consequently, Liverpool scored twice in four minutes through Mac Allister and Wirtz. Therefore, Villarreal needed a response, and Oluwaseyi, who had replaced Saliba at half-time, supplied one late on. Nevertheless, Liverpool held on to win by a single goal.

What did the match statistics show?

Liverpool had the better of the numbers, finishing with 22 shots to Villarreal’s 14. Of those, seven Liverpool efforts were on target against five for Villarreal, and 14 of the home side’s shots came from inside the box. Likewise, the expected-goals figures favoured the hosts, at 2.41 to 1.59, which suggests that the 4-3 result was fair even if the game was end-to-end.

Liverpool also had 53 percent of possession, completing 464 of 541 passes against 415 of 498 for Villarreal. In addition, they won seven corners to the visitors’ two. On the other hand, Villarreal were caught offside four times to Liverpool’s two, and they collected two yellow cards while Liverpool received none. Altogether, the home side controlled territory and set pieces, while the visitors relied on sharp finishing in the moments they did get.

Which line-ups did Liverpool and Villarreal start with?

Liverpool started in a 4-2-3-1 with Alisson Becker in goal, Araújo, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Tsimikas in defence, Mac Allister and Treymaurice Nyoni in central midfield, Ngumoha, Ryan Gravenberch and Gakpo behind Lewis Koumas. Villarreal also lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Gulácsi in goal, a back four of Mouriño, Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga and Cardona, Saliba and Gueye in midfield, and Tajon Buchanan, Santi Comesaña and Moleiro supporting Mikautadze.

The Liverpool changes proved influential, with Wirtz on at half-time, Alexander Isak replacing Koumas in the 66th minute and Bradley Barcola coming on for Ngumoha in the 74th. Meanwhile, Villarreal turned to Juan Foyth, Alex Freeman, Ayoze Pérez and Gerard Moreno from the bench.

What does the result mean for the Champions League table?

Liverpool are second in the 36-team table with nine points from three games and a goal difference of plus five, behind Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference. Villarreal are 19th with three points from three matches and a level goal difference, so they will need to improve to climb the standings. Furthermore, Paris beat Barcelona 4-2 on the same night, as our PSG vs Barcelona report explains.

For more on Liverpool’s recent form, read our Brentford vs Liverpool report, and follow every result on the live scores page or the Champions League hub.

For the official fixtures, standings and match centre, see the UEFA Champions League website.

Frequently asked questions

What was the score in Liverpool vs Villarreal?

Liverpool won 4-3 at Anfield, with the sides level at 2-2 at half-time.

Who scored for Liverpool against Villarreal?

Alexis Mac Allister scored twice, with Ronald Araújo and Florian Wirtz adding one each.

Who scored for Villarreal at Anfield?

Georges Mikautadze, Sergi Cardona and Tani Oluwaseyi scored for Villarreal.

Where is Liverpool in the Champions League table?

Liverpool are second with nine points from three games and a goal difference of plus five.