Match Recap: Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (11-2 agg)

Liverpool have a 5-1 lead from the first leg as they aim to reach the Europa League Quarter Finals.

It should certainly be a straight-forward affair as the reds have one eye on the weekend's FA Cup Quarter Final against Man Utd.

Mo Salah is back in the starting line up after a number of appearances from the bench.

Confirmed LFC Team: Kelleher, Gomez, Bradley, Robertson, Quansah, Endo, Szoboszlai , Clark, Salah, Gakpo, Núñez

Subs: Adrián, van Dijk, Mrozek, Diaz, Elliott, Mac Allister, Tsimikas, Gordon, McConnell, Musialowski, Koumas, Danns

As it happened...

20:01 UK
KICK OFF

We are underway at Anfield.

Liverpool lead this tie 5-1.

20:09 UK
GOAL!!!

7' Here we go.  1-0 on the night.  6-1 on aggregate.

DARWIN NUNEZ.  Clark to Szoboszlai - crosses it back into the edge of the area and Nunez curls that beautifully past the keeper.

20:10 UK
GOAL!!

8' 2-0.  Bobby Clark scores his first goal for the reds.  Prague trying to play out from the back - passes it straight to Bobby Clark to smash it in.

20:12 UK
GOAL!!

This is daft.

10' Mo Salah scores - Sparta Prague playing out from the back again.  Bobby Clark takes the ball off him, Salah comes in and smashes it in.  3-0.

20:16 UK
GOAL!

14' Madness this.  Sparta Prague concede once more.

Liverpool through them like a knife through butter.  Nunez and Salah too good - ball comes in from Mo to Gakpo and he smashes it in from 10 yards.

9-1 on aggregate.

20:28 UK

26' Four goals in the first 13 minutes and now we have a little bit of a lull in proceedings.

Sparta need to score 8 goals to force extra time.

It's a little bit exhibition(y) now.

20:29 UK

Sparta, unsurprisingly, have everyone behind the ball.  Don't appear to have any intention of leaving thier half.

Could be a long 60 minutes this.

20:33 UK

20:36 UK

35' Big chance - Salah stroking the ball across.

Nunez tries to tap it in - but it goes over.  Should have buried it but it did take a big bounce.

20:44 UK
Goal

42' A goal for Sparta Prague, Veljko Birmančević scores his 12th goal of the season - putting away a long punt upfield from the keeper that was a bit unsighted for Kelleher.

Fair play for the travelling Sparta fans who have been making plenty of noise in this first half.

9-2 now on aggregate.  Not quite nail-biting.

20:49 UK
HALF TIME

Liverpool are heading through to the Europa League Quarter Finals - Salah has scored his 20th goal of the season, making it 7 consecutive seasons he has reached that landmark - a Liverpool record.

HT: Liverpool 4-1 Sparta Prague (9-2 aggregate).

21:03 UK
LFC Subs

Changes at half time for the reds.

Endo replaced by McConnell.

Nunez replaced by Elliott.

Gomez replaced by Tsimikas - which means Robertson is the left sided centre-back.

Back underway.

21:06 UK
GOAL!!

48' Dom Szoboszlai with a little bit of acceleration and drills a shot from a tight angle in the box - takes a deflection and fires into the top corner past the keeper. 

Not sure if that was going to go in so it might go down as an own goal.

21:13 UK
GOAL

55' Cody Gakpo gets his second of the game.  Harvey Elliott with the shot from the edge of the box (that wasn't going in) but Gakpo gets the touch to divert it past the keeper.

It's 6-1 on the night, 11-2 on aggregate.  Liverpool's all time record over two legs is 12-0.

21:22 UK
Yellow cards

65' Jarell Quansah is about to go off but gets booked there as his last involvement of the game.  Bit harsh - Jurgen Klopp also gets a yellow card for complaining about it.

On comes Virgil van Dijk for Quansah.

21:31 UK
LFC Sub

74' I think Klopp wanted to bring Salah off but Bobby Clark has an issue so he comes off and Mateusz Musialowski makes his Liverpool debut.

The 20 year old Polish footballer has been with the reds for 3 years.

21:40 UK
Chance

83' Good attempt there by Harvey Elliott but it draws a good save from the Sparta keeper just in front of The Kop.

21:46 UK
European Quarter Finals

Liverpool are heading in to the Quarter Finals in European competition for a 28th time in the clubs history.

Incredible record that.

21:47 UK
Goal disallowed

90' Salah sends the ball across but Gakpo has gone too soon at the back post and puts it in, but the flag goes straight up.

He knows he is offside and that denies him a hat-trick.

21:48 UK
FULL TIME

FT: Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (11-2 on aggregate)

A comprehensive victory for Liverpool who reach yet another European Quarter Final.

22:02 UK
Teams through to the Quarter Final

Marseille

AC Milan

West Ham

Benfica

Atalanta

Liverpool

Roma

Bayer Leverkusen (who scored twice in injury time to come from behind).



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