Liverpool throw away three-goal lead as Sevilla stage spectacular Champions League comeback

Sevilla 3 Liverpool 3: Two second-half goals by Wissam Ben Yedder and a dramatic late equaliser by Guido Pizarro turned the match on its head

Guido Pizarro's late strike ensured that the points would be shared (Getty)

However far Liverpool progress in this season's Champions League, it will surely not be dull. After a string of dominant performances against lesser opposition domestically, this, blowing a three-goal lead to draw, was a return to the harum-scarum stuff that we have come to expect when Jurgen Klopp's side meet opponents of a similar calibre.

After NK Maribor held Spartak Moscow in Group E's other game, victory over Sevilla here would have sent Liverpool through as group winners and Roberto Firmino's second-minute strike got them off to the best possible start. They spent the next 91 minutes ahead but at the death, the same defensive frailties that so often scupper this side came back to haunt them once again.

A Sadio Mané header and another for Firmino, both before the interval, put Liverpool into a 3-0 lead and should have been enough to wrap this contest up, but like in the 2016 Europa League final, Sevilla produced a spectacular second-half comeback and Alberto Moreno suffered a nightmarish evening against his boyhood club.

The full-back was at fault for both Yassim Ben Yedder strikes – a free header and a penalty - that brought the Andalusians back from the brink but it was a collective defensive failure, the type Liverpool supporters are far too familiar with, that allowed Guido Pizarro to equalise in the dying minutes.

Liverpool must now wait for Spartak's visit to Anfield in a fortnight's time, when avoiding defeat will be enough to reach knock-out phase. A win will be enough to take the group at the second time of asking, but it should never have had to come to that.

It all began so well, too. From a Philippe Coutinho corner, Georginio Wijnaldum rose well and flicked the ball on from the front post to the far, into just enough space for an on-rushing Firmino to collect and convert past Sevilla's helpless goalkeeper Sergio Rico. I

This Liverpool side, however, rarely looks confident when needing to protect a slim lead for a long period of time and even in the first half, there were signs of the collapse to come. Sevilla took a while to re-group after going 1-0 down but once they did they could and should have drawn level, with two clear cut chances in quick succession.

Roberto Firmino celebrates Liverpool's opening goal (Getty)

Nolito went closest to an equaliser after a dazzling solo run, the type rarely seen during his underwhelming spell at Manchester City, only for Loris Karius to push the resulting effort onto the inside of the upright. Ben Yedder fired millimetres wide when one-on-one mere seconds later. After such an assured start, Liverpool were rattled.

No matter though, as Sevilla's defence was poor enough to let them back into it. Liverpool's second came from another Coutinho corner, another deft flick-on, another red shirt unmarked at the back post. It was Mané, this time, on hand to nestle a diving header into the corner of Rico's net.

If the second had seemed easy, Firmino did not even need to look in the right direction while he scored his side's third. After Mané left a struggling Johannes Geis in his dust down the left, the winger's attempt on goal was parried into Firmino's path. In front of a gaping goalmouth, he took a moment, turned his head to left and shot straight ahead.

The Sanchez Pizjuan whistled as their players went back down the tunnel at the half-time interval and only tentative applause greeted them on their return, but six minutes into the second half, local boy Moreno gave his former fans reason to cheer.

It was the left-back's cheap foul that conceded Ever Banega's free-kick from the right and then Moreno lapsed again, allowing Ben Yedder to ghost in front of him and head into the far corner past Karius.

Sevilla could sense vulnerability in their opponents and embarked on a long, sustained period of pressure. Eventually, they exploited their old boy Moreno again, with the full-back penalised for treading on Ben Yedder's foot inside the box. The goalscorer went right from the spot-kick, Karius went left but referee Felix Brych ordered a re-take. This time, Ben Yedder went left, Karius went right and Liverpool would not be reprieved.

Moreno was quickly hooked for the more dependable James Milner, Emre Can was introduced to central midfield and gradually, Liverpool managed to halt their hosts' momentum, but the control seen in their play during the majority of the first half was still missing. As ever, it felt as though only scoring would compose them, but the closest they came was a quick-fire Mané attempt that soared over the crossbar.

Sevilla searched on for their equaliser and in stoppage time, just as it seemed that Liverpool had weathered the storm, another slice of unassertive defending told for Klopp's side. The defence had dealt relatively well with set-pieces all night long, but after Ragnar Klavan failed to get enough purchase on a clearance, those in red around him did not react quickly enough and Pizarro turned the ball in. The collapse was complete.

Sevilla (4-3-3): Sergio Rico; Mercado, Geis, Lenglet, Escudero; Pizarro, Nzonzi (Vazquez 45), Banega; Sarabia, Ben Yedder (Correa 81), Nolito (Muriel 73).

Substitutes not used: Soria, Corchia, Krohn-Dehli, Navas.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Karius; Gomez, Lovren, Klavan, Moreno (Milner 63); Henderson, Wijnaldum, Coutinho (Can 63); Mane, Firmino, Salah (Oxlade-Chamberlain 87).

Substitutes not used: Mignolet, Sturridge, Solanke, Alexander-Arnold.

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)