- Premier League giants Liverpool ran riot last night thumping Sparta Prague 6-1 at Anfield
- The Reds won the tie 11-2 on aggregate and have eased into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals
Premier League giants Liverpool ran riot last night thumping Sparta Prague 6-1 during the Liverpool vs Sparta Europa League clash. The Reds won the tie 11-2 on aggregate and have eased into the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
Despite winning the first leg 5-1, Liverpool were ruthless at Anfield scoring four goals inside the first 14 minutes of the match. Darwin Nunez opened the scoring in the 7th minute and then Bobby Clark, 19, netted his first senior goal one minute later. Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo then added two more goals in the 10th and 14th minutes, respectively.
Liverpool vs Sparta. Photo/ El Futbolero US.
Veljko Birmancevic pulled one back for Sparta Prague before the break but second half goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo ensured Liverpool cruised to a 6-1 win at Anfield.
Such a massive win is what Liverpool needed as they prepare to face Premier League rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup this weekend. Speaking after the Liverpool vs Sparta match, Sparta Prague boss Brian Prisk praised Liverpool’s performance saying they deserve to be in the Champions League.
“Big respect to Liverpool how they played these two legs, the level from Sparta to Liverpool is massive. It is a completely different level. We never faced something like this. Liverpool is a Champions League team and they should be playing in the Champions League.” Brian Prisk is quoted by Sky Sports.
How The Liverpool Vs Sparta Prague Match Unfolded
Jurgen Klopp made a few changes from his team that held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw, with Mohamed Salah making his first start since returning from injury. Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Bobby Clark were also included in the starting lineup.
Following Liverpool’s 5-1 win in the first leg of this tie, they were guaranteed a spot in Europa League quarter-finals. They started last night’s match on a high note and took the lead inside seven minutes, thanks to Darwin Nunez who finished from 16 yards after being found by Szoboszlai.
Mo Salah then charged down Krejci before setting up Bobby Clark who scored his first senior goal on his European debut. Clark then returned Salah’s favour by teeing up the Egyptian who scored his 20th goal of the season, becoming the first Liverpool player to score 20 goals in seven consecutive seasons.
Salah, who was having a field day, set up Cody Gakpo who scored Liverpool’s fourth goal of the night in the 14th minute. The Reds became only the second team in major UEFA competition to lead by four goals inside 14 minutes, since Chelsea did the same against Jeunesse Hautcharage in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971-72.
Sparta Prague captain Ladislav Krejci called a meeting in the middle of the pitch after his side conceded the fourth goal. Well, whatever was said in the meeting worked for the remainder of the first half as they managed to hold the pressure from the hosts. In fact, they had the final say towards the end of the first period as they pulled one goal back through Veljko Birmancevic.
Liverpool started the second half with the same pace they started the first half with and increased their advantage to 5-1 just three minutes after the restart. Once again, Salah was involved as he set up Szoboszlai who scored his first of the match.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez scored last night as Liverpool thumped Sparta Prague. Photo/ Liverpool FC.
Gakpo then sealed the win for Klopp’s side in the 55th minute. The Dutchman had a golden opportunity to complete his hat-trick but blazed over when left with only the goalie to beat.
By full-time, Liverpool had recorded their biggest aggregate win in a European competition for over forty years as they equalled the 11-2 win over Finish side Oulun Palloseura in the first round of the European Cup 1980-91.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login