Five talking points from Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGOBy Joe Urquhart
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Liverpool eased into the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday evening with a 6-1 second leg victory over Sparta Prague.
The Reds progressed 11-2 on aggregate overall following an impressive performance during the two legs. Here are five talking points from the Anfield encounter…
A flying start
It was an incredible opening 14 minutes for the Reds under the Anfield lights.
Four goals in seven minutes put the tie beyond doubt, as Liverpool swarmed, hassled, harried, passed and pushed back the Czechia champions on home soil.
Darwin Nunez was the first to net in minute seven, before Bobby Clark got on the scoresheet himself almost immediately from the Sparta Prague restart.
Mohamed Salah made in three in the 10th minute, while Cody Gakpo’s effort rounded out an incredible first quarter of the game only four minutes on from the Egyptian King.
In doing so, Liverpool became only the second team to earn a four-goal lead in major UEFA competition in 14 minutes, following Chelsea against Jeunesse Hautcharage in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971-72.
As a result, the tie was never in doubt, with the Reds in full control throughout, and further goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Gakpo only added to the confidence.
A mention for Bobby
It’s harder to imagine a more impactful period of time for the Liverpool Academy in recent years.
The Kirkby youngsters have helped navigate a tricky period of the season with injuries mounting at first-team level, delivering a memorable Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea last month, while helping the Reds progress past Southampton in the Emirates FA Cup and continue on in the Premier League.
Clark was the latest of those graduates to see his name in lights in L4, as he netted his first senior goal on another impressive showing for the midfielder in his fourth start.
He could’ve had a second, too, as he danced his way into the box before shooting straight at Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
Magic Mo hits 20
It’s been a long time coming for Liverpool’s No.11, but Salah was named in a Reds starting line-up once again for Thursday’s fixture.
The forward was last picked in Jürgen Klopp’s first 11 on New Year’s Day against Newcastle United at Anfield, when he scored a brace in a 4-2 victory over Eddie Howe’s men.
He marked the occasion by setting a club record in on Merseyside, becoming the first Liverpool player in the club’s history to score 20 goals across all competitions for a seventh successive season.
Salah’s effort was placed perfectly into the bottom corner amid the flurry of goals in the opening exchanges, with the attacker collecting the ball and finishing neatly with his left like he so often does.
His night wasn’t done there, either, with Salah also recording a hat-trick of assists in the victory.
Reds march on in Europe
An incredible 28 quarter-finals have now been reached by Liverpool in Europe throughout their entire history.
Klopp has overseen six of those visits to the last eight, having taken charge of 89 European matches during his tenure in his eight seasons in charge.
Liverpool are firmly in the hunt for the only available trophy he is yet to lift as Reds boss and sent out a stern message after an emphatic display.
There’s no time for celebrations, though, as a quick turnaround sees a swift return to action, with a visit to Manchester United in the FA Cup up next for Liverpool, as they look to remain on course on all fronts.
Europa League draw awaits
The Reds won’t have to wait long to find out who they will face in the last eight of the competition.
The draw for the final phase of the tournament takes place at 12pm GMT in Switzerland on Friday and will plot out Liverpool’s potential route to the final in Dublin.
