Sevilla produced a stunning fightback from a three-goal half-time deficit to earn a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday thanks to Guido Pizarro’s stoppage-time equaliser.
Roberto Firmino scored twice as Jurgen Klopp’s side looked set to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in nine years and seal top spot in Group E with a three-goal blitz in the first half-hour, with Sadio Mane also netting.
However, Wissam Ben Yedder pulled two goals back before Pizarro stabbed home from a corner to protect Sevilla’s year-long unbeaten run at home.
Here are two good and two bad performances from the exciting clash in Spain.
TWO GOOD
ROBERTO FIRMINO
There was a time when Firmino wasn’t considered an out-and-out striker in the traditional sense. That may still be true, but he scores some traditional centre-forward goals quite often these days, along with his reportoire of smart finishes and thunderous strikes.
On Tuesday, his movement allowed him to ghost in unmarked at a corner, and then he scored in front of an open goal for his second.
Firmino is developing into the prototypical modern centre-forward.
WISSAM BEN YEDDER
Ben Yedder has been somewhat of a Champions League specialist for Sevilla this season. He came into this game with four goals from four appearances in Europe this season.
Two more on Tuesday to bring Sevilla from 3-0 down to 3-2 takes him to six, the same as Tottenham’s Harry Kane. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more.
His first was a world-class header, even if it came largely thanks to some awful static defending from Liverpool.
Ben Yedder, Sevilla’s Champions League specialist.
TWO BAD
ALBERTO MORENO
Supposedly, Alberto Moreno has improved defensively this season. If that’s true, then someone forgot to remind the Spaniard, because he came out after half-time looking every bit the error-prone left-back who loses concentration too easily and gets caught out too often.
Moreno was at fault for Sevilla’s first two goals, failing to see Ben Yedder’s run to the near post for the first and then giving away the penalty for the second.
At least he can’t be blamed for the equaliser that completed Sevilla’s comeback – he’d been hooked long before that.
Moreno was almost single-handedly responsible for Liverpool’s collapse.
JOHANNES GEIS
While not directly at fault for any of Liverpool’s goals, Geis did not give a good account of himself against Liverpool’s high-flying attack.
Part of that was down to Sevilla’s midfield largely being invisible in the first half, leaving Geis and his fellow defenders exposed, but there were times when he looked like a deer caught in the headlights, not knowing what to do.
The German, who is on loan from Schalke, is rumoured to have caught the eye of some of Europe’s leading clubs but on this evidence he still needs improvement.
Johannes Geis looked lost against Liverpool’s attack.
