Liverpool supporters began the evening by welcoming the sight of a bus homing into view.
They then spent the best part of an hour bemoaning the presence of another.
Having given Jurgen Klopp’s side a rousing ovation on their way up to the stadium, the Reds faithful were then compelled to watch on as Villarreal, as has been their way this season in the Champions League, wasted no time in setting out their stall.
Sit back, waste time when possible and just make life awkward for Liverpool.
After all, why change an approach that had driven Juventus to distraction in the last 16 and then shocked Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals? Not for nothing is Yellow Submarine boss Unai Emery considered one of the most canny European operators at present.
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Liverpool, though, had unwittingly been given the perfect preparation for this encounter by Sunday’s hard slog of a Merseyside derby against Everton.
And, as against their neighbours, the Reds ultimately found the answer, two goals in a whirlwind 133-second spell shortly after half-time tilting this tie in their favour. Okay, the first owed much to a deflection, but Liverpool had earned that fortune with their relentless attack and faith in their game.
The trademark intensity under Klopp was present and correct – and far too much for Villarreal to deal with for 90 minutes – but what allowed them to truly prosper was their control on proceedings.
Precisely the kind of game in which Liverpool had struggled in past seasons under Klopp, this was also the occasion that underlined why Thiago Alcantara was acquired for £20m in 2020 to add another dimension to the engine room.
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The Spaniard was again excellent, his unerring passing pulling the Villarreal rearguard this way and that and, given the base provided by fellow midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, close to a wondrous goal with a 30-yard smash that thundered against the woodwork.
So dominant were the Reds, Villarreal ended with one shot at goal and none on target – the joint worst record in a Champions League semi-final since such statistics began in 2003.
That, though, will mean little to Klopp and Liverpool, who know there remains plenty of work to do in Spain next Tuesday to finish the job. But the keys to the bus to Paris are now most certainly in their hands.
