Mac Allister brace inspires Liverpool fightback against Villarreal at Anfield

On 20 October 2026 at Anfield in the Champions League, Liverpool overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Villarreal, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice and Rio Ngumoha prominent in the comeback.

Andoni Iraola and Iñigo Pérez set aside a long friendship ahead of their first competitive meeting as managers, and Iraola made six changes to the Liverpool side that beat Brentford on Saturday. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola were all named on the bench, with Wirtz and Barcola rested after heavy recent involvement in three games and Isak’s minutes managed following a thigh issue. The adjustments produced a second successive Champions League start for Trey Nyoni and saw Ryan Gravenberch move into Wirtz’s number 10 role.

Liverpool’s afternoon began poorly as Virgil van Dijk twice miscontrolled long passes from Renato Veiga, the second error allowing Georges Mikautadze to control and roll the ball under Alisson for the opener; Van Dijk offered apologies afterwards. Villarreal extended their lead when Pape Gueye, Alberto Moleiro and Nathan Saliba combined to release Sergi Cardona down the left, with the full-back finishing past Alisson after being played onside by Kostas Tsimikas.

The hosts responded before half-time when Mac Allister rose to meet a Tsimikas corner and directed a header into Peter Gulacsi’s unguarded side. Liverpool then levelled with the final kick of the first half after Rio Ngumoha clipped a cross to the far post, Cardona allowed the ball to bounce and Ronald Araújo headed home; Araújo celebrated with a pile-on with supporters in the Anfield Road Stand.

Araújo did not appear at the start of the second half as Iraola introduced Wirtz and redeployed Gravenberch to right back, and Liverpool’s tempo improved markedly with Ngumoha and Wirtz prominent. Villarreal’s substitutions attracted criticism in the stands, and Ayoze Pérez, the former Newcastle forward, drew the manager’s ire on several occasions according to the report.

Ngumoha earned praise from the Kop after his run down the right created Mac Allister’s second: Mac Allister floated a pass to the 18-year-old winger, whose first touch carried him away from Cardona and past Juan Foyth before he pulled the ball back for Mac Allister to smash home off the underside of Gulacsi’s crossbar. Wirtz completed the turnaround after a Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo combination created space for the Germany international, who drilled a left-foot finish into the keeper’s far corner.

Villarreal later struck again when Tani Oluwaseyi volleyed in a late third, a moment that briefly troubled Liverpool’s supporters, but Liverpool held on to secure the comeback. The victory preserved Liverpool’s 100% start in the Champions League and marked their third successive win in all competitions.