Liverpool breezed into the Europa League final with a 3-0 win over Villarreal on another memorable night at Anfield to set up a mouthwatering clash with holders Sevilla who brushed aside visitors Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 Thursday night.
Jurgen Klopp’s men progressed to their first European final in 11 years thanks to an own goal from Bruno Soriano and further strikes from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit and go through 3-1 on aggregate.
Villarreal offered little resistance, swept away in the surreal atmosphere at Anfield as Liverpool ensured there’ll be no complete dominance of Spanish teams in Europe’s two major finals as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are set to do battle in the Champions League final in Milan on May 28.
Liverpool, backed by a ferocious home crowd, broke the deadlock with an own goal from Soriano, who turned in Roberto Firmino’s cross from the left before Sturridge doubled the lead on 63 minutes with a sharp finish.
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The Yellow Submarines then had Victor Ruiz sent off for a second booking after stamping on the foot of Lallana who then stroked home from Sturridge’s mis-hit shot with eight minutes to play.
Sevilla had Kevin Gameiro to thank for a comfortable 5-3 aggregate win over Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar with the in-form France striker scoring twice and Mariano Ferreira grabbing a third to book their spot in the final in Basel on May 18 as they chase a record breaking third consecutive title.
