2-0 Down, Liverpool Fight Back Before the Break

Liverpool won a dramatic 4-3 duel against Villarreal in UEFA Champions League 2026/2027 league phase matchday 3 at Anfield, early Wednesday (21/10/2026) WIB. The hosts fell two goals behind before fighting back to seal victory in a seven-goal thriller.

Villarreal stunned the hosts with two early goals. Georges Mikautadze put the visitors ahead in the 4th minute, before Sergi Cardona doubled the lead to 2-0 in the 29th minute. Anfield fell silent watching their team trail by two at home.

Liverpool responded swiftly. Alexis Mac Allister pulled one back in the 36th minute, and Ronald Araújo levelled at 2-2 in the 45th minute plus one at the end of the first half. Two goals in the final ten minutes of the half turned the match around and restored the hosts' belief.

Liverpool Fight Back from 0-2 to Beat Villarreal 4-3
Rio Ngumoha in action for Liverpool at Anfield (illustration photo, not from the match against Villarreal on 20/21 October 2026). (Photo: Liverpool.com) (Source: Liverpool.com)

Mac Allister and Wirtz Turn It Around

Liverpool were far more aggressive after the restart and finally took the lead. Alexis Mac Allister scored his second in the 65th minute to put the Reds 3-2 ahead — a goal that sent Anfield into delirium.

Three minutes later, Florian Wirtz extended the lead to 4-2 in the 68th minute. The goal felt special for the German midfielder as his first since April, ending a long drought that had weighed on him.

Villarreal refused to give up and pulled one back through Tani Oluwaseyi in the 87th minute. But there was not enough time left for the visitors to level, and Liverpool closed out a dramatic 4-3 victory.

Teenage Star Ngumoha and a Perfect Record

The real star of the night was Rio Ngumoha. The 18-year-old dazzled with two assists that proved key to Liverpool's comeback. His maturity at such a young age left the Anfield crowd in awe.

The victory also preserved Liverpool's perfect Champions League record this season: three wins from three matches. The Reds showed championship character in coming from two goals down — a win their supporters will remember for a long time.

For the visitors, coach Andoni Iraola had done his utmost with six substitutions throughout the match. But the changes were not enough to stem Liverpool's second-half wave, and Villarreal went home empty-handed.