Liverpool came from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield on Tuesday. The result gave them nine points from three UEFA Champions League matches.
They now sit just behind Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference. Both teams have won all three of their opening games.
Villarreal struck first after just four minutes. Georges Mikautadze capitalised on a poor header from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
Sergi Cardona doubled the visitors’ lead in the 29th minute. However, Liverpool quickly began their fightback.
Alexis Mac Allister pulled one back seven minutes later. Ronald Araújo then equalised shortly before half-time, heading home Rio Ngumoha’s cross.
Liverpool took control after the break. Ngumoha set up Mac Allister for his second goal in the 65th minute.
Florian Wirtz added another three minutes later. The substitute scored his first club goal of the season to put Liverpool 4-2 ahead.
Villarreal refused to give up. Tani Oluwaseyi scored in the 87th minute to set up a tense finish. Liverpool held on to secure a memorable victory.
Liverpool youngster lights up European stage
The standout performer in Liverpool’s 4-3 win was 18-year-old Ngumoha.
The England international was hard to get past, completing seven dribbles, the most of any player in the match, and significantly boosting Liverpool’s attack.
“It’s up there with one of the best I’ve played. I enjoyed myself out there,” the young winger told Amazon Prime.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola was full of praise for Ngumoha in the post-match press conference, telling Sky Sports: “I think he was coming from a very good game the other day – he had a good second half against Brentford.
“He didn’t have an easy game [against Villarreal] because they were demanding him defensively and their left-back was attacking a lot.
“There was a moment offensively where he was very difficult to stop. If we can put Rio in situations one against one, he makes plays, he produces things.
“The assist for Alexis is a lovely play – he could go down for a penalty but he decides to continue, which is a great decision.
“Also, endurance wise, he is able to play more and more minutes. We were pushing him a little bit, he was tired, but I think he has done a good effort and I’m very happy for him.
“I am happy with his attitude because he is eager to improve things that we think he needs to improve. He is eager to add more things to his game.
“He has been on the right lately. He is feeling more comfortable now, shooting on his left. He can add this to his game.
“He is only 18, still not the full package and it is not always going to be like this. There will be ups and downs in the process.”
More from Tuesday’s Champions League games
The first round of matchday three of the Champions League had more to offer.
Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 in a game that saw Phil Foden prove his worth with a hat-trick, while PSG beat Barcelona 4-2.
Atlético Madrid, meanwhile, got their second consecutive red card in the Champions League as they settled for a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart.
Borussia Dortmund beat Sabah 2-1, Napoli and Bodø/Glimt played out an exciting match that ended 4-3 in favour of the Italians and Roma beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0.
Elsewhere, Fenerbahçe and Slavia Praha battled to a 2-2 draw and Porto lost 1-0 to PSV.
Wednesday offers more action, with Bayern Munich hosting Arsenal in one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of the league phase at 20:00 BST.
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