Oluwaseyi scores as Liverpool edges Villarreal 4-3

Canadian striker Tani Oluwaseyi scored late for Villarreal, but Liverpool held on to win 4-3 in a seven-goal UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.

Villarreal started two Canadians, midfielder Nathan Saliba and winger Tajon Buchanan, and the Spanish club led 2-0 inside half an hour. Georges Mikautadze scored in the fourth minute and Sergi Cardona added a second in the 29th. ESPN’s match data credited Saliba with the pass that set up Cardona’s goal.

Liverpool answered with four straight goals. Alexis Mac Allister scored the first in the 36th minute, and Ronald Araújo levelled the score in first-half stoppage time.

Mac Allister scored his second of the night in the 65th minute, and substitute Florian Wirtz made it 4-2 a few minutes later.

Oluwaseyi, who came off the bench, pulled one back for Villarreal in the 87th minute, finishing a cross that ESPN credited to Ayoze Pérez. The visitors could not find an equalizer in the closing minutes.

All three Villarreal players are Canadian internationals. Earlier coverage looked at what Canada learned from its final World Cup tune-up and how the national team’s World Cup run ended in July.

Polish referee Szymon Marciniak took charge in front of 59,610 fans, according to UEFA. UEFA named Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha the player of the match. No player was sent off.

The win leaves Liverpool third in the 36-team league-phase table with nine points from three matches, level on points with Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Real Betis, according to UEFA’s standings. Villarreal has one win and two losses and sits 19th with three points.

The top eight clubs after the eight-match league phase advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th go into a knockout playoff round.

Villarreal’s next Champions League match is a home date with Paris Saint-Germain on Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. MT). Liverpool visits Fenerbahçe on Nov. 4 at 12:45 p.m. ET (10:45 a.m. MT).

Champions League matches are streamed in Canada on DAZN, which holds the competition’s Canadian rights through the 2026-27 season.

Via UEFA and ESPN.

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