One star: Spanish press bizarrely hand Liverpool player the same rating as Rulli after CL semi-final

The Liverpool player ratings are in after their Champions League semi-final win over Villarreal, 5-2 on aggregate.

Gerónimo Rulli might have expected not to get the best reviews, after his second half performance as Liverpool turned the tide.

Rulli let Fabinho’s goal through his legs before the exact same thing happened with Luis Diaz’s close range header to make it 2-2.

Worse was to come, with Rulli racing out of goal to allow Sadio Mane to win the game on the night for Liverpool and send them sailing into the final.

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So it makes sense that Spanish outlet Marca gave him one star after the game.

Liverpool came out much improved in the second half and could well have won anyway, but Rulli’s display gave them more than a helping hand.

It does not make quite so much sense that Alisson was given the same rating as his opposite number between the sticks by Marca.

Alisson could have given away a penalty in the first half for a foul on Giovani Lo Celso, which Villarreal’s president called outrageous after the game.

Perhaps that is the point the player raters were trying to make, but it is clear that Alisson did not come close to having as bad a night as Rulli.

He was at fault for all three goals and that ensured that all of Villlarreal’s first half hard work was all for nothing as Liverpool qualified for their tenth ever Champions League final.

Tonight, they will discover their opponents, when the second leg of Real Madrid and Manchester City’s semi-final is played out.

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