Reds secure third European final in five seasons with all-English contest in prospect

Liverpool are into the UEFA Champions League final after a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side held a 2-0 advantage going into the second leg, but trailed 2-0 at half-time before goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane sealed a 5-2 victory on aggregate.

The Reds will now wait to see whether or not there will be back-to-back all-English finals in the competition, as Manchester City take on Real Madrid in Wednesday’s semi-final in the Spanish capital.

Man City, beaten finalists by Chelsea last year, hold a 4-3 lead from the home leg against the newly-crowned LaLiga champions.

If successful, they will face Liverpool in the showpiece event at Stade de France, Paris, on 28 May.

Third final appearance under Klopp

The Reds, six-time winners of Europe’s elite club competition, have been in the final on two previous occasions under Klopp.

They lost the first 3-1 to Real Madrid in 2017/18 but beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 the following season.

Liverpool’s victory has not only raised the prospect of a third all-English final in four seasons, it has also kept alive their hopes of an unprecedented quadruple.

Having already won the EFL Cup with penalty shootout success over Chelsea in February, they face the Blues in the FA Cup final on 14 May. 

Klopp’s side are also in the hunt for the Premier League title, with the 2019/20 champions only one point behind leaders City with four matches each remaining.

The winners of UEFA’s three major club competitions could yet all hail from the Premier League.

West Ham United are in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, while Leicester City are contesting the last-four stage of the UEFA Conference League.