Image source, Getty ImagesRio Ngumoha became the youngest player to have an assist for Liverpool in the Champions League
Rio Ngumoha provided the spark as Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Villarreal at Anfield in the Champions League.
Andoni Iraola's side endured a dismal opening half-hour but were given hope by Alexis Mac Allister's goal before Ngumoha set up Ronald Araujo to level on the brink of half-time.
Eighteen-year-old Ngumoha then did superbly to tee up Mac Allister after the break as Liverpool hit the front for the first time, before Florian Wirtz scored his first club goal of the season.
Ultimately, Iraola's side made it three wins out of three in Europe, but they did not make things easy for themselves.
Iraola made six changes from the win at Brentford on Saturday, with Alexander Isak, Bradley Barcola and Wirtz among those dropping to the bench, and Liverpool were punished instantly after a sloppy start.
Renato Veiga played a long ball that Virgil van Dijk should have dealt with, but the captain's header back to Alisson was weak and intercepted by Georges Mikautadze, who finished with his left foot to give Villarreal the lead.
Nathan Saliba then played a simple ball through the heart of Liverpool's defence and Sergi Cardona slotted past Alisson to send the 700 travelling fans wild.
Iraola's side got one back in the 36th minute when Mac Allister headed in from Kostas Tsimikas' corner, then Araujo got on the end of a delightful dinked ball from Ngumoha to draw Liverpool level.
Araujo was replaced by Wirtz for the start of the second half, with Ryan Gravenberch moving to right-back and Liverpool were much improved thereafter.
Ngumoha went past Cardona and provided Mac Allister with a tap-in to give Liverpool the lead, before Wirtz doubled Liverpool's advantage with a left-footed finish.
There was a late scare when Tani Oluwaseyi got on the end of Ayoze Perez's ball to make it 4-3 but Liverpool held on.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson: Will be disappointed to have conceded three times, but in fairness to him all of Villarreal's goals were taken well. 5
Ronald Araujo: Was nowhere for Villarreal's second goal but scored the leveller for Liverpool and his celebration summed up how much the Anfield crowd are growing to love the Uruguayan. Replaced at half-time. 6
Jeremy Jacquet: An unusually poor first half and perhaps fatigue has had a part to play, but did look more like his usual self after the break. 6
Virgil van Dijk: Had a shaky start and made an uncharacteristic error that led to Villarreal's opener. Better after the break but will not be happy that Liverpool conceded three. 5
Kostas Tsimikas: Was too deep for Villarreal's second goal and had a shocking start, but the left-back got the assist for Mac Allister's first goal and improved as the game went on. 6
Trey Nyoni: One of the few bright sparks for Liverpool and continues to impress. Kept the ball well, always positive and nearly scored his first Liverpool goal too. 7
Alexis Mac Allister: Started poorly but scored a great header to get Liverpool back in the game and then struck again. 8
Rio Ngumoha: Easily the best player on the night. Got two fine two assists and was simply too good for Sergi Cardona. The 18-year-old is some talent and someone that the Anfield crowd will enjoy watching for years to come. 9
Ryan Gravenberch: Initially started in Liverpool's number 10 role but moved to right-back after half-time and did his job. 7
Cody Gakpo: Struggled initially on his first start since September but got the corner that led to Mac Allister's first goal. 6
Lewis Koumas: Can't fault his lack of effort. This was another solid shift, but he lacked that decisive edge in front of goal. 6
Subs:
Wirtz (on 46, Araujo): Liverpool looked much more threatening after he came on and the German took his first goal of the season really well. 8
Isak (on 66, Koumas): Didn't do much after coming on. 5
Gomez (on 74, Jacquet): 5
Barcola (on 74, Ngumoha): 5
McConnell (on 81, Nyoni): 5
Subs not used: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Kerkez, Chambers, Danns, Laffey.
How to play
Rate players out of 10 for this game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle. You must be signed in to a BBC account to play.
1 Give it up10 Pure perfection- Liverpool (active)
- Villarreal
Starting XI
Number: 1 Alisson BeckerSubstitutes
Number: 29 B. BarcolaStarting XI
Number: 25 P. GulácsiSubstitutes
Number: 8 J. FoythAfter the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
