LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Darwin Nunez of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 round of 16 second leg match between Liverpool FC and AC Sparta Praha at Anfield on March 14, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Liverpool booked their spot in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals thrashing Sparta Prague 6-1 in the second leg on Thursday night.
UEFA Europa League
Result: Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (11-2 on aggregate)
Date: 14 March 2024
Venue: Anfield
In spite of a commanding 5-1 lead from the first-leg, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp named a strong line-up, as he made only four changes from the draw against Manchester City, as Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Andrew Robertson and Bobby Clark were all brought in.Darwin Nunez gave the Reds a perfect start with the opener and made it 6-1 on aggregate after just seven minutes from the first whistle with a composed shot from a cut-back by Dominik Szoboszlai.
The hosts were 2-0 up just a minute later after Clark capitalized on a mistake at the back by Sparta and got his first goal for the club with a strike from the edge of the box.
In total annihilation, Salah got his name on the score-sheet with just ten minutes on the clock after he curled a shot into goal after another error at the back.
Klopp's charges managed to add a fourth goal on the night in the 14th minute after Gakpo converted a square pass from Salah.
Liverpool spurned a few good chances after that and were caught by a long ball just before the interval as Veljko Birmancevic pulled a goal back to make it 4-1 and 9-2 on aggregate for Sparta after going through on goal.
The Reds had another blistering start in the second stanza, as within three minutes Szoboszlai made it 5-1 and 10-2 on aggregate with a strike in the box that a big deflection off Ladislav Krejci.
In another early goal-scoring streak, Gakpo added the sixth goal for Liverpool ten minutes after the break with a flick on from a shot by Harvey Elliot.
Sparta had some respite from the Reds' aggressiveness but with 13 minutes to go, Gakpo had a chance to complete his hat-trick with a strike in the box that was parried away by goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
Elliot also had a chance to make it 7-1 for the the hosts in the dying minutes but Vindahl made a reflex save, as Liverpool cruised to the quarter-finals.
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