It was all meant to go so differently, after that win over Dortmund in the last round and, for 90 minutes it looked as if Liverpool had played it smart in looking for a sneaky away goal or draw to take back to Anfield.
As it was, Jurgen Klopp’s seeming insistence on playing it safe for a change backfired, with Daniel Sturridge remaining on the bench and Liverpool badly struggling in front of goal throughout, despite creating some good opportunities.
The tie is far from over, but this will go down as a real missed opportunity, with a lot said about how strong Villarreal are before kickoff proving untrue as Liverpool played a very average Spanish side tonight.
The second leg is there for a reason though, and if the Reds can outscore Borussia Dortmund, then surely Villarreal will just be as beatable. Provided, of course, Klopp goes for a balls-out, attacking lineup. For now, check out our ratings.
[ffc-gallery]Click to see our player ratings.[/ffc-gallery]