Jurgen Klopp secured his sixth European quarter-final in nine years, after a much-changed starting eleven, obliterated Sparta Prague 6-1 at Anfield. The 11-2 aggregate score was Liverpool’s biggest European victory for fifty years.
This tie was a formality before kick-off, but Liverpool raced away with the game, inside the opening twenty minutes. Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, and European debutant, Bobby Clark, were all on the scoresheet as Sparta began sloppily and somehow got worse. Shocking marking, giving the ball away, lethargic in possession, the Czechs were abysmal. Those who’d travelled from the Czech capital though supported their team with gusto throughout and were rewarded for their enthusiasm, when Sparta scored in front of the Kop, to make the score 4-1 at half-time.
Salah, Nunez, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson all started, with Klopp obviously determined to maintain Liverpool’s momentum, ahead of the FA Cup tie at Old Trafford on Sunday. Only Virgil van Dijk, of the obvious starters, was rested, as both Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley lined up in defence, whilst Gakpo, who scored a brace, replaced Luis Diaz in the front three.
In truth, Liverpool were simply too good for Sparta Prague, and with all of the front three scoring, along with Szoboszlai, it was a near-perfect evening. Bobby Clark though added to Liverpool’s injury woes, replaced by Polish midfielder, Musialowski, in the second half, whilst Tsimikas also saw some game time.
Van Dijk was also called from the bench in the final quarter of the game, but by then the scoring had concluded. With more fit players for him to now choose from, Klopp and his squad, will surely head up the East Lancs Road to Manchester at the weekend, brimming with confidence.
