Sparta Prague vs Liverpool. UEFA Europa League Round of 16.
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Match report as Liverpool earned a 5-1 Europa League last-16 first-leg win at Sparta Prague; Alexis Mac Allister's early penalty plus Darwin Nunez's double gave the Reds a 3-0 lead; Luis Diaz and Dominik Szboszlai scored after Conor Bradley's own goal but Ibrahima Konate got injured
Friday 8 March 2024 06:06, UK
Liverpool warmed up for Sunday's huge Premier League encounter with Manchester City in fine fashion as they earned a 5-1 first-leg lead over Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 16.
Alexis Mac Allister benefited from some sloppy Sparta defending to win then score a penalty after just six minutes, but Liverpool relied on some wasteful finishing from their Czech hosts, plus some heroic defending from Caoimhin Kelleher and co, to avoid being pegged back.
But Liverpool added two more before the break through Darwin Nunez, who fired from the edge of the box before volleying into the far corner on the stroke of half-time in the striker's first start back after a muscle injury.
The second half, however, started in disaster for Liverpool as half-time substitute Conor Bradley conceded an own goal with his first touch of the game, before defender Ibrahima Konate limped off with a concerning injury - though Jurgen Klopp confirmed after the game his substitution was precautionary.
"Ibou said to me 'if I do another sprint, it could be set'," the Liverpool boss said. "Should be fine but we don't know. Joe Gomez [who came off at half-time] is fine, played a lot, rotation. So let's see with Ibou."
Luis Diaz's finish from inside the box restored Liverpool's three-goal lead eight minutes after the break, before they welcomed back Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah off the bench after respective injuries.
And it was a happy return for Szoboszlai who added a fifth with the last kick of the game - but attention now turns to Sunday's huge title six-pointer at Anfield against City, live on Sky Sports with kick-off at 3.45pm.
Sparta were given a Liverpool warning after just two minutes as they gave the ball away on the edge of the box to Wataru Endo, who slipped Nunez but he scuffed his finish after rounding the goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, Sparta were punished properly as Asger Sorensen took a heavy touch in the box and Mac Allister nipped in and was brought down by the same defender. The Argentine dusted himself off and sent goalkeeper Peter Vindahl Jensen the wrong way from the spot.
Despite the early setback, Sparta - who came into the game with an unbeaten home record this season - produced chance after chance in the first half.
Striker Jan Kuchta's cross from the right found Lukas Haraslin in the box for what looked like a simple finish, but Kelleher stuck out an outstretched arm to parry well, before Gomez cleared it off the line.
Back came Sparta as impressive wing-back Angelo Preciado had two big chances, cutting inside but his low goalbound shot was diverted over by Konate. Then the Sparta wide man had a header flicked on by Martin Vitik, but Kelleher tipped it over using some excellent reflexes.
Just as Sparta began knocking on the door, Liverpool struck with their second as a counter attack saw Nunez cut inside on the edge of the box, before firing past Jensen with a finish high in the middle of the goal.
Sparta had more chances before the break as Kuchta fired over from Preciado's cross, before Veljko Birmancevic somehow missed an open goal as Kuchta's shot was saved by Kelleher. Haraslin then missed another good opportunity as he rounded Kelleher but slipped as he tried to finish.
Cody Gakpo then had two big chances saved by Jensen and Luis Diaz fired over but Liverpool eventually found a third as Mac Allister lifted a ball over the top for Nunez, who arrowed a volley into the far corner after setting himself.
If the first half ended well for Liverpool, the second started in crisis as Bradley, on for Joe Gomez at the break, smashed Birmancevic's cross into his own net with his first touch of the ball.
Moments later, Sparta nearly had a second as Birmancevic crossed for Haraslin who could only find Kelleher from close range, but Liverpool's main concern was seeing Konate pull up with an injury - he was replaced by Virgil van Dijk.
As Liverpool licked their wounds, with Szoboszlai coming on to mark his return from injury, they restored their half-time advantage as Bradley and Harvey Elliott combined down the right to feed Diaz in the box, who finished cooly.
Gakpo missed a few more chances but then it was time for Salah to enter the fray, with the Egyptian winger trusted with the final 14 minutes of the game.
Salah thought he marked a goal back when he finished cooly in the box with ten minutes to play, but VAR ruled out the strike due to offside. Instead, it was Szoboszlai who rounded off the scoring as his solo run and finish through Jensen made it a four-goal lead to take back to Anfield.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp:
"The result was much better than the performance. We adapted in the game and we told the boys at half-time how we should do it. Sparta had chances.
"Sparta took risks and we punished them, we scored wonderful goals. We knew it was not a walk in the park, we worked a lot. It was a good result. Now we recover and meet again in seven days.
"Nunez had a more than OK first season but had to adapt.
"He's a wonderful boy, loves playing for this club with his boys and has quality coming out his ears. It's like strikers are.
"Is he at his peak? Not yet. Can he develop? Yes. But he's always a threat."
Caoimhin Kelleher has played the role of unlikely Liverpool hero before when he helped his side win the Carabao Cup in 2022. He's back in that role this season, only with much bigger prizes at stake.
The Irish goalkeeper showed his worth in the first half against Sparta Prague, saving brilliantly from Jan Kuchta and Lukas Haraslin when the odds looked against him.
In fact, the 25-year-old has saved eight out of the last 15 big chances faced, including big saves in this year's Carabao Cup final, and some smart stops in the slender 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Kelleher has won Liverpool a trophy and some important points in the title race since he stepped in for the injured Alisson last month. Up next, it's Manchester City and the best striker in world football in Erling Haaland. Can David keep out Goliath?
Liverpool host champions Manchester City in a crucial match in the Premier League title race on Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 3pm; kick-off 3.45pm.
Table-topping Sparta Prague head to Viktoria Plzen in the Czech First League on Sunday; kick-off 5pm.
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