Liverpool win again.
So much, so unsurprising, But while victories are becoming commonplace for his side, Jurgen Klopp will still have taken huge satisfaction from a night that effectively killed off this Europa League last-16 tie after the first leg in Prague.
There was even another landmark moment for Klopp to celebrate as he nears the end of his Anfield reign, with Darwin Nunez’s first-half strike being the 1,000th scored by Liverpool under his management. He is, by some distance, the quickest Liverpool manager to reach the figure.
Here, we analyse the main talking points from Liverpool’s victory.
Can Nunez be Liverpool’s top scorer this season?
As Nunez karate-kicked the corner flag in celebration after scoring his second of the night in first-half stoppage time, a plastic mug of beer landed close to his feet.
The Uruguayan grinned at the irate Sparta supporter leaning over the hoardings who had thrown it. Nothing was going to wipe the smile off Nunez’s face.
Here was a striker playing with supreme belief and freedom. Glaring misses used to dent his confidence but times have changed midway through his second Liverpool season.
Nunez cracked on unperturbed after scuffing one early opportunity against Sparta. His movement was excellent as he pulled off into space and linked up with Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo on either side of him.
His two goals were of the highest quality.
For the first, he latched onto Harvey Elliott’s pass, cut in off the left side of the penalty area and whipped an unstoppable 25-yarder beyond Peter Vindahl.
Nunez celebrates his second goal, which made it 3-0 (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
His second showcased his supreme confidence. Alexis Mac Allister picked him out with a perfectly weighted lofted pass and, as the ball dropped just outside the box, Nunez opted to hit it first time and dispatched another sweet strike into the corner.
With 16 goals now in all competitions, Nunez has gone beyond his tally for his 2022-23 debut season. Liverpool could have another 20 games to play this season across the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup, so there’s no reason why he can’t get beyond the 25-goal mark if he stays fit.
Liverpool’s leading scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
|
Mohamed Salah |
19 |
|
Darwin Nunez |
16 |
|
Diogo Jota |
14 |
|
Cody Gakpo |
11 |
|
Luis Diaz |
11 |
|
Dominik Szoboszlai |
6 |
|
Curtis Jones |
5 |
With Mohamed Salah just three ahead of him, Nunez could easily be crowned Liverpool’s top scorer for the season when the dust settles in May. The goals are starting to flow for him at a pivotal stage of the campaign.
There was a huge ovation for him from the travelling Kop when he was substituted early in the second half ahead of Sunday’s title-race duel with Manchester City at Anfield, and rightly so.
Nunez is flying.
How big a concern is Konate’s injury?
The cloud over this emphatic victory was Ibrahima Konate limping off early in the second half.
Konate pulled up after sprinting back towards his own area. He then sat on the floor as he was attended to by medical staff before walking off and being replaced by Virgil van Dijk.
Klopp later said that Konate had asked to come off as he feared the repercussions of another sprint, but admitted that “we don’t know” whether there is a more significant problem with the centre-half.
Losing the France international for any period would be potentially damaging as his double act with Van Dijk is so commanding. It is yet another injury setback for Klopp to wrestle with during a season when his resources have been stretched to the limit.
With Van Dijk initially rested and then coming on to replace Konate, it was telling how, without their combination at the back, Liverpool looked much more vulnerable defensively. That has to be a concern with City to come in less than 72 hours.
Konate comes off in Prague (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Liverpool were indebted to Caoimhin Kelleher maintaining his excellent form in the absence of the also injured Alisson as he pulled off some outstanding saves. There was also a crucial goal-line clearance from Joe Gomez and some wasteful finishing from the hosts. City surely won’t be as accommodating.
On the positive side, there was the welcome sight of Salah making his comeback with 17 minutes to go – the Egyptian had missed 12 of Liverpool’s previous 13 games since the New Year’s Day win against Newcastle.
Is he fit enough to start on Sunday? He certainly looked sharp, with only a VAR check denying him a goal, and his record against City is remarkable, scoring 11 times in 19 Liverpool appearances against them.
Liverpool aren’t short of firepower, the bigger concern for Klopp is at the back after losing Konate.
Should Mac Allister be on penalties now?
How Mac Allister’s influence has grown throughout his impressive first season at Liverpool. The presence of Wataru Endo in the holding role has freed up the Argentina international to operate further forward recently and he’s playing with a real swagger.
Fresh from creating Nunez’s dramatic late winner away against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Mac Allister set the tone in Prague.
It was his relentless pressing in the fifth minute that won the ball back off Asger Sorensen, who then clumsily brought him down in the box. Mac Allister took responsibility to coolly tuck away his first penalty for the club, briefly silencing the vociferous Sparta ultras behind that goal.
AMac Allister tucks away his penalty (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Two of Liverpool’s three previous spot-kicks had been missed by Salah (against Newcastle) and Nunez (Chelsea) in January. Mac Allister scored eight out of nine during his time at previous club Brighton. Fit-again Salah won’t want to give up penalty duties but there’s certainly a discussion to be had.
Operating on the left of Klopp’s midfield trio, Mac Allister continued to shine as he snapped into tackles and used the ball intelligently. During the opening 45 minutes tonight, he completed 34 of his 36 passes (94.4 per cent) and created three chances — more than anyone else on the pitch.
His overall touch map for the game highlights his industry and willingness to drop deep to collect possession and push up to join attacks:
Having him in such a rich vein of form is a major plus going into Sunday’s showdown with City, where his quality will be sorely needed.
What did Klopp say?
Liverpool’s manager admitted the scoreline flattered his team on the night but praised them for being ruthless with their finishing.
“The result was much better than the performance,” he said. “We adapted in the game and we told the boys at half time how we should do it. Sparta had chances.
“They took risks and we punished them, scored wonderful goals. We knew it was not a walk in the park, but we worked a lot. It was a good result. Now we recover and meet again in seven days.”
Klopp also reserved special praise for Nunez and his two-goal performance which maintains his superb recent form.
“He had a more than OK first season but had to adapt,” Klopp said. “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.”
What next for Liverpool?
Sunday, March 10: Manchester City (H), Premier League, 3.45pm GMT, 11.45am ET
Two of the three horses in this season’s title race meet at Anfield, separated by one point and one place with 11 games each to go. Arsenal, the other horse involved, will be top by kick-off if they win at home against Brentford on Saturday. Arsenal then visit City in both clubs’ next league match, on March 31.
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(Top photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
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