Liverpool overwhelm Villarreal at Anfield

Liverpool look like being one European giant too many for Villarreal. Wins in the Champions League semifinals are rarely as routine as Liverpool’s 2-0 first-leg victory on Wednesday over the Spanish underdogs, appear to have finally come unstuck on a fairytale run that has already accounted for European football royalty in Juventus and Bayern Munich. Liverpool, still on course for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies, proved to be a bigger test. The six-time European champions slowly dismantled the limited challenge of Villarreal on another night when they were swept along by the power of Anfield. The goals came early in the second half — and within 133 seconds of each other — as Villarreal left-back Pervis Estupinan unwittingly deflected a cross by Jordan Henderson into his own net in the 53rd minute, with goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli only managing to tip a looping ball into his own net.