Postmortem: Final Word On Liverpool’s 5-1 Rout of Sparta Prague

Sparta Prague 1-5 Liverpool – Europa League Last 16 (1st Leg)

This was a game that many thought would have seen a heavily rotated starting eleven fielded, essentially as the result of the Manchester City game on Sunday may represent a championship defining one. Jürgen Klopp evidently decided to go for a strong first leg team and attempt to install momentum into his men, which may well be what was achieved. The result was emphatic, hopefully the aftermath will match the score.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

LFC Starting Eleven

GK – Caoimhin Kelleher
RB – Joe Gomez
RCB – Ibrahima Konaté
LCB – Jarell Quansah
LB – Andy Robertson (c)
RCM – Harvey Elliott
CDM – Wataru Endō
LCM – Alexis Mac Allister
RF – Cody Gakpo
CF – Darwin Núñez
LF – Luis Díaz

Subs

Conor Bradley – Joe Gomez (45 mins)
Virgil van Dijk – Ibrahima Konaté (50 mins)
Dominik Szoboszlai – Darwin Núñez (50 mins)
Bobby Clark – Alexis Mac Allister (65 mins)
Mohamed Salah – Luis Díaz (74 mins)

https://twitter.com/anfieldindex/status/1765857984012308853?s=46&t=rxgukmqdoXc4muVFLSx2EQ

Goals

Sparta Prague 0 – 1 Liverpool: Alexis Mac Allister (Penalty) 6 mins
Sparta Prague 0 – 2 Liverpool: Darwin Núñez (Harvey Elliott) 25 mins
Sparta Prague 0 – 3 Liverpool: Darwin Núñez (Alexis Mac Allister) 45+3 mins
Sparta Prague 1 – 3 Liverpool: Conor Bradley (Conor Bradley) 45+3 mins
Sparta Prague 1 – 4 Liverpool: Luis Díaz (Harvey Elliott) 53 mins
Sparta Prague 1 – 5 Liverpool: Dominik Szoboszlai – 90+4 mins

Match Stats

Possession: Sparta Prague 40% – 60% Liverpool
Total Shots: Sparta Prague 11 – 21 Liverpool
Crosses: Sparta Prague 13 – 6 Liverpool
Corner Kicks: Sparta Prague 5 – 3 Liverpool
Counter Attacks: Sparta Prague 1 – 4 Liverpool
Goalkeeper Saves: Sparta Prague 6 – 7 Liverpool

First Half

The opening period of this game was pure cup football, even though close to 200 minutes would need to be navigated before finding the ties eventual victor. With both teams deciding to down many of their defensive instincts, it made for a ridiculous spectacle of attacking intent and end to end football. I assumed a conservative approach would be undertaken, where the visiting team would bed in and await opportunities to arise.

I was wrong.

The first goal arrived in just the sixth minute, to set the tone for this game. Alexis Mac Allister outwitted a competing defender, before being brought down just inside the box. The Argentina star then took matters into his own hands and clinically scored into the bottom corner from the resulting penalty. The Reds were off and running and despite Caoimhin Kelleher being tasked into several fine first half saves, the reds would add a second and third goal before the initial period was up, courtesy of the returning and enigmatic Darwin Núñez.

The first of his scintillating double came after a simple ball from Harvey Elliott. As the edge of the box opened up and temptation presented itself, the Uruguayan raging bull unleashed a beautiful strike into the net, whilst the Sparta Prague keeper flapped like a crazy man trying to catch confetti. The second goal was even purer, as Alexis arced a tremendous through all into the path of his South American friend, who unleashed another powerful strike into the far corner.

Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez enjoyed average halves of indecision, as the ppm nature of the game created indecision in his play. Harvey was tenacious and busy, whereas Wataru Endō was quietly effective. Cody Gakpo was a curious case in this game, as his endeavours seems continually forced as he competes to keep his place in the side.

The most entertaining of halves ended 0-3 and unlike that nigh in Istanbul, this game was already over.

⚽️ Reds Shine in Europa Clash: Sparta Prague 1-5 #LFC

✍️ Player Ratings with @StevLFC https://t.co/0UgDlSFC9D

— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) March 7, 2024

Second Half

On resumption of the second half, Joe Gomez stayed behind for an early shower, in what we all hope was a prearranged halftime time substitution. This scenario would allow his German manager to keep his three second half alteration stoppages, as Conor Bradley came in for a direct swap. It would be a mere five minutes before Ibrahima Konaté and Darwin Núñez departed for their respective substitutions, with both taken off as precautionary measures, we hope.

That double alteration arose only following another Liverpool player had found the net with a well struck goal. Conor Bradley had arrived into the Europa League match up with a desire to make an instant impression, which he achieved with a 46th minute own goal. After a well-crafted cross into the box by the advancing wide man, the ball was caught with a vengeance and flew past the helpless Caoimhin Kelleher, courtesy of his young stable mate.

As the game state filtered and readjusted to the incoming players, the fourth and fifth goals would come a fair way apart. Luis Díaz had been threatening to achieve something, which finally arose in the 54th minute, as his deflected shot found its way into the Czech goal. Prior to this and most certainly afterwards, Cody Gakpo had been unlucky with numerous opportunities to create chances for himself and others, as he strives to become explosive and a real option for the first team elite.

Perhaps the highlight of the game was to see the returning Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, enter the field after his post AFCON injury. The record-breaking scorer even managed to score a smartly taken goal, before seeing it criminally chalked off for a phantom offside that never was. The return of Dominik Szoboszlai was also a delight for the travelling support, with the Hungarian captain showing a tenacity and power that the entire fanbase had been craving since he broke down. The match ended with that midfield powerhouse scoring the final and fifth Liverpool goal of the game, with his attacking intent and desire to start at Anfield on Sunday being made evident by his insistence on scoring.

The game ended 1-5 and there will be no second leg comeback.

What Are My Final Thoughts…?

This was a game that could proof pivotal in the upcoming weekends game. Pep Guardiola will bring his 115-charge club to Merseyside in perhaps the biggest game in the tenure of Jürgen Klopp. Two of the world’s most celebrated managers will collide and only after the close of their titanic encounter, will we know the full effects of Liverpool fielding so many first team players against Sparta Prague.

I believe the result pointed heavily towards the younger academy players that should have been used, however, the tails of many senior players are now up and momentum could be carried into what will be a ferocious Anfield on this weekend’s Mothering Sunday.