Simon Mignolet believes Liverpool's hopes of reaching the Europa League final are still alive – and can be turned into reality with the help of the Anfield atmosphere next week.

A stoppage-time goal from Adrian Lopez saw the Reds lose 1-0 in the first leg of their semi-final with Villarreal on Thursday night, at the very end of an even game at El Madrigal.

Jürgen Klopp’s side had several chances to secure an away goal but must now beat the Yellow Submarine on Merseyside in the return match to progress to the Basel showpiece.

Mignolet has faith they can do just that, and highlighted the amount of goals Liverpool have scored in 2016 and the effect of Anfield as reasons to remain confident.

The goalkeeper said: “We defended really well throughout the game. It’s [always] a tactical game against a Spanish team.

“They are hard to break down and were looking for one or two chances. Unfortunately, it happened at the end. But we played a good game.

“Everybody saw the quality of Villarreal but we created our chances and we had some chances to score. Unluckily, that didn’t happen.

“But it’s still there to play for at home at Anfield. With the supporters behind us at Anfield there’s always some magic in the air.

“It will be close until the end – there won’t be many goals in it. They are tough to break down and difficult to create [against]. But we had some chances.

“It’s still there to play for at home with the fans behind us. We have scored a lot of goals since Christmas so why not again?”

| LFCTV GO: Simon Mignolet and Kolo Toure reflect on the first leg |

Liverpool were well aware of Villarreal’s formidable home record in the Europa League this season, with Marcelino’s team extending a run of winning every fixture at El Madrigal.

Given their organisation, efficiency and creative talents in attack, it will take another strong second-leg performance from the Reds to eliminate the side placed fourth in the Spanish top flight.

“We saw them, analysed them and knew their qualities,” Mignolet added. “They have got quality throughout the team, some very good players.

“You’re not fourth in La Liga without a good team. We knew that beforehand. We’ll focus on our jobs and hopefully we can put in a performance worthy of getting us to the final.”