Liverpool earned their seventh consecutive victory on Thursday night by seizing control of their Europa League last-16 tie against Sparta Prague in impressive fashion.
In a dominant performance during the first leg, Liverpool showcased their clinical edge, netting three goals before halftime to silence the home crowd amidst the frenzied atmosphere of the Czech Republic capital.
The breakthrough came with Alexis Mac Allister’s sixth-minute penalty, awarded after the Argentina World Cup winner was brought down by Asger Sorensen.
Darwin Nunez then extended the lead with a spectacular dipping strike from outside the penalty area, marking Liverpool’s 1,000th goal under the management of Jurgen Klopp. Moments before the interval, Nunez added his 16th club goal of the season with a powerful effort from the edge of the box, sending Liverpool into halftime with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Despite their comfortable lead, Liverpool owed a debt of gratitude to Caoimhin Kelleher, who once again proved his value to the team in the absence of injured first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Kelleher pulled off a series of crucial saves, notably denying Lukas Haraslin’s goal-bound effort with a decisive intervention before Joe Gomez cleared the danger off the line.
Sparta Prague managed to pull one back early in the second half when Liverpool substitute Conor Bradley inadvertently scored an own goal, only for Luis Diaz to quickly restore Liverpool’s three-goal cushion with a deflected finish. Substitute Dominik Szoboszlai then added a fifth goal with virtually the last kick of the game.
Despite Mohamed Salah’s return from a hamstring injury as a 74th-minute substitute and a disallowed goal for offside, Liverpool will be confident of securing their place in the quarter-finals when they face Sparta Prague in the return leg at Anfield on March 14 (20:00 GMT).
Before that pivotal encounter, Klopp’s side will host defending champions Manchester City in a top-of-the-table clash at Anfield.
However, concerns linger over the fitness of Ibrahima Konate, who was substituted after picking up an injury in the second half, while Joe Gomez failed to appear for the second half altogether.
