There have been plenty of rough knocks and zapping team moves in Liverpool’s collection of goals that Jurgen Klopp will remember as the curtain falls on his time on Merseyside, but few were sweeter than number 1,000.
After scoring the final goal of Liverpool’s Premier League victory on Saturday, Darwin Nunez achieved another milestone in style here with a deflected shot from 25 yards as the Reds thrashed Czech league leaders Sparta Prague.
Who else but Núñez? The once-derided striker is now the main man for Klopp and company and this double, the 1,000th and 1,001st goals of the Klopp era at Liverpool, must strike fear into Pep Guardiola if he sat at home studying Sunday’s opponents before that titanic fight for the title. at Anfield.
Guardiola and Manchester City fans would have gained some confidence when they saw key defender Ibrahima Konate limp off in the second half, a sour moment that risked casting a sour tone on an electric night for Liverpool.
However, the Frenchman was withdrawn as a precaution, with Konate making the right decision due to slight muscle soreness. “Ibou told me: ‘If I do another sprint, it could be done,’ Klopp said. ‘It should be good, but we don’t know.’
Darwin Núñez scored two goals in the first half as Liverpool got off to the perfect start
Alexis Mac Allister had converted a penalty in just the sixth minute of the match.
Núñez’s two goals were Liverpool’s 1,000th and 1,001st (pictured) of Jurgen Klopp’s reign.
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Collective sighs of relief, then, in the red half of Merseyside, with this trip to Prague returning to the near-perfect state it was at half-time. Liverpool outplayed their rivals, resting several key men late in the game and also giving much-needed minutes to the recovering stars.
That came from Núñez, who was not fully fit despite his prolific form, and Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored the fifth goal. And of course, let’s not forget talisman Mohamed Salah, who enjoyed a 15-minute cameo from the bench to put him in contention to play against City.
If the theme of February in Liverpool was the flourishing of local boys in the first team, March has been all about South American flavour. Argentine Alexis Mac Allister and Colombian Luis Díaz added goals to either side of that prolific double from Uruguayan Núñez, and all three prospered.
But as much as Mac Allister is becoming one of the key protagonists of this formidable Liverpool side, Nunez is top of the class for Klopp at the moment. “A wonderful guy, a wonderful kid,” the manager said. ‘He loves playing for this team along with these guys.
‘And to be honest, he has quality coming out of his ears! It’s like strikers are, they score and then they don’t score. Is it at its absolute peak overall? Not for us now. But can it be developed? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yeah.’
Sparta had not lost a home game this season before Liverpool’s visit. The Czech league leaders were clearly no easy opponent, even if their defense smacked of a farming protest in the city yesterday in which tractors dumped manure around the Charles Bridge area.
Brian Priske’s team plowed through Liverpool with quick counterattacks, but his side had only themselves to blame for careless errors that led to several goals, including Mac Allister’s first. He won and converted a penalty after a strong touch and a mistimed tackle by Asger Sorensen.
That set the tone for the night after just five minutes, although they could do little against Núñez’s powerful double. The first was a deflected effort from 25 yards, the second a thumping half-volley after a sumptuous pass from good friend Mac Allister.
Núñez’s first of the game was a brilliant shot from outside the area in the 25th minute.
Conor Bradley was alone on the field for less than a minute before scoring his own goal.
Luis Díaz restored the three-goal margin after the break before being replaced by Mohamed Salah.
Diaz took advantage of a pass from Harvey Elliott inside the box before a deflection took his shot into the back of the net.
Dominik Szoboszlai came off the bench to ensure Liverpool walked away with five goals.
Klopp hopes this strong performance will be a dress rehearsal for Sunday’s clash against Manchester City.
Sparta continued to attack (Klopp later admitted the home team’s performance fell short of the result) and Caoimhin Kelleher made several key saves. But when Priske, who had faced Klopp in the past at former club Midtjylland, urged his team to move on, he left big holes in the defence.
From then on, Liverpool’s attackers lined up to express their intention to start on Sunday against City. Díaz added a fourth with a clean finish, Salah had a typical curling shot disallowed for offside, before Szoboszlai completed the rout with a good run and a goal for five.