You have to say for all the league treachery Liverpool go through, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes sideways, never winning, they sure know how to make a grand entrance in European competition. Something festoons their brain with a hundred thousand megawatts of light. And today, they were on point, hungry, demanding, incessant, and lethal. Driven by Jurgen Klopp on the sidelines, teeth glistening in a snarl, fists pummeling imaginary opponents, his pelvis jerking in orgasmic afternoon delight. The Yellow Submarine came into Anfield on an emotional night, as the faithful grieved and remembered the 96 with a kundalini stirring YNWA. The odds were stacked against them.
Klopp started that prodigal son, Daniel Sturridge, not knowing how many minutes or end product and he delivered an assist and a goal. Robert Firmino showed glimpses of what he could do in a free role, leaving Roberto Soldado twisting in the wind with an extravagant version of a Cruyff turn and almost delivering another goal. Could Soldado finally get a break on English soil? No.Non.Nyet.Nada.
Firmino did administer the deft touch that left Sturridge delicately sliding the ball past Alphonse Areola, looking like he needed a bosom for a pillow, after the ball struck him and then pinged off the upright, trickling agonizingly into goal. That proved to be the winning strike following a Bruno Soriano own goal very early on which drew Liverpool level on aggregate.
The upshot was Villarreal just needed another goal to go through on away goal advantage but Emre Can, Dejan Lovren, and Kolo Toure (Ya Ya, anything you do I can do better!) were a wall (Donald Trump likes walls). Denis Suarez was reduced to a blubbering, petulant mess practically begging to be thrown out and the dangerous Cedric Bakambu was reduced to snatching at shots. The Yellow Submarines were reduced to 10 men after Victor Ruiz already booked, brought down Adam Lallana with a vaguely vitriolic stamp. A long shot got a bit longer. Lallana, much maligned for sterility in front of goal, slid the ball in after Pablo Musacchio kept him onside after Sturridge miscued his shot. The victory thwarted what would be an all Spanish coronation at the Europa level.
Liverpool travel to Basel to meet Sevilla, consecutive winners of the Europa Cup, to break the stranglehold. The Spanish side are record holders with 4 titles in four appearances in the finals. But the Reds are also unbeatable, with three in 3 finals. Liverpool are the most storied English club when it comes to European honours, this being their 11th entrance to the finals. Only Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Barcelona have done better. Shine up your elitism.
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