When the draw for the final three rounds of the 2021/22 Champions League was made, most Liverpool supporters assumed their side was destined to face Bayern Munich in the semi-final if they were able to get past Benfica.
Yet having done so, they will instead face Villarreal. Unai Emery’s team beat the German champions 2-1 on aggregate having managed the tie superbly. Bayern won the shot count 45-16 across the two legs but Villarreal edged the clear-cut chance tally 3-2 and made the most of their best moments.
While the Spanish side are the easier of the two potential opponents in theory, Emery has caused Liverpool European heartbreak in the past. He was in charge of the Sevilla side who beat the Reds 3-1 in the 2015/16 Europa League final, and there’s another link to Jurgen Klopp’s first campaign in England as Liverpool beat Villarreal in the semi-final.
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Those two clashes in 2016 are the only previous competitive matches the Reds have played against their forthcoming Champions League semi-final opponents. A look back at that tie certainly highlights how far Liverpool have come during the last six years, particularly with respect to the standard of their squad.
Unlike the forthcoming semi-final between the sides, the previous one began in Spain. In their now familiar 4-3-3 formation, the Reds started with a front three of Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana either side of Roberto Firmino.
Yet it was midfielder Joe Allen – a player who ended his Liverpool career with just seven goals in 132 matches – who had Liverpool’s one big chance of the match, and it came in the 5th minute. A cross from Lallana deflected into his path near the penalty spot, but despite a clear route to goal Allen’s shot was straight at Sergio Asenjo (who is still with the club as back-up goalkeeper now).
A goalless draw wouldn’t have been a bad result but unfortunately for the Reds, Adrian Lopez scored in the 91st minute to give Villarreal something to cling to in the second leg at Anfield the following Thursday. Had they scored there then Liverpool would have needed three goals to go through, but as it was, they scored three for good measure anyway.
Bruno Soriano, a defensive midfielder who spent his entire career with Villarreal, set the ball rolling with an own goal in the seventh minute. He turned in the ball after it had been sent through the six yard box by Firmino to level the tie.
Five minutes later, Lallana steered a clear-cut chance wide of the post and it looked as if Liverpool were in complete control. And though they largely were, it took until the 153rd minute of the tie for Klopp’s side to finally take the lead in it.
Daniel Sturridge remained on the bench in the first leg but returned to the starting line up at Anfield. Like in so many other seasons he had struggled with injuries in 2015/16, making 25 appearances in a campaign in which Liverpool played 63 times.
The match with Villarreal was notable for Sturridge as the only one that season in which he both scored and assisted a goal. He would also enjoy his only ever joint goal contribution with Firmino, despite them going on to play over 2,000 minutes together.
The Brazilian found Sturridge unmarked in the box with a neat pass, and though his shot was hit at Asenjo, it made its way into the net. Victor Ruiz was dismissed for a second bookable offence eight minutes later, and 10 minutes after that Liverpool sealed their place in their final.
Great work from Firmino down the left saw him pull the ball back for the waiting Sturridge. He steered it towards goal and Lallana was on hand to make sure it went in. The match didn’t have anything like the drama of the 4-3 victory over Dortmund in the previous round, but nobody on the Kop was bothered about that when the result secured the Reds their first European final for nine years.
It's interesting to look at the team from the second leg and ponder which players would make it into the current Liverpool side. Nobody would make a realistic case for the goalkeeper or back four, and few would take Emre Can over Fabinho.
Speculation always circulates that Philippe Coutinho could return to Anfield even now and some Kopites would like to see him in red again too. But the rest of the team would probably be squad players rather than starters now, even with their 2016 selves. Firmino was good then, but would he dislodge Diogo Jota?
Liverpool had a decent side in 2016 but now they have a legendary one. And even though Villarreal have a European master in Emery at the helm these days, the Reds were favourites to reach the final in 2016 and they will be once again in 2022.
