Liverpool 3 Villarreal 0 player ratings: James Milner? Daniel Sturridge? Dejan Lovren? Who was the star man?

The Reds will face Sevilla on 18 May

Jurgen Klopp was full of celebrations as Liverpool marched through to the final (Getty)

Liverpool reached their first European final for nine years with a comprehensive 3-0 win over a 10-man Villarreal side who lost their heads in the red-hot cauldron of Anfield.

The Spanish side are not the first side to succumb to the almost magical powers of the famous old ground and they will probably not be the last.

But having arrived with a reputation for defensive discipline they were overcome in this Europa League semi-final second leg by whirling dervishes with a renewed hunger for silverware and a wall of noise rolling down off the Kop.

Bruno's early own goal settled the nerves before Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana wrapped things up after the break, with Villarreal's Victor Ruiz needlessly sent off with the score still finely balanced at 2-0, when an away goal would have turned it in the visitors' favour.

BUT WHO WAS THE STAR MAN? RATINGS BELOW...

A banner on the Kop simply reads 'European Elite', and while this competition may not be where a club of Liverpool's history are used to playing, it offers a path back to the big time with a win in Basle later this month - in addition to a trophy. The opponents there will be Sevilla.