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Liverpool registered a resounding victory in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 tie as they swept aside Czech Republican outfit Sparta Prague 5-1 on Friday. Summer recruit Alexis Mac Allister put the visitors ahead with a penalty in the seventh minute, followed by a brace from Darwin Nunez to put the game beyond Sparta Prague’s reach. Conor Bradley, who came in for Joe Gomez at half-time, helped the hosts pull one back with an own goal. Goals from Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai late in the second half left no scope for a comeback as the Reds will be taking a four-goal cushion with them back to Anfield for the return leg.
It was an evening of high-octane, ultra-attacking football from Liverpool at the epet ARENA in Prague. The cherry on the cake, however, was the second goal from Darwin Nunez, an absolute screamer from outside the box as the 24-year-old striker curled the ball into the top-right corner.
That goal made it 2-0 for Liverpool in the 25th minute and also brought up the 1,000-goal landmark under the managerial regime of Jurgen Klopp, who is set to call an end to his legendary tenure at Anfield after the current campaign.
Liverpool achieved this feat in Klopp’s 476th game in charge of the club. With this, he became only the fourth manager of an English side in the Premier League era to reach this incredible milestone. He joined the likes of Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) and Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) in an elite club of managers who saw 1,000 goals scored under their reign. Only two other Liverpool managers in history – Bill Shankly and Tom Watson – have managed to achieve the feat.
Following the game, Klopp was asked about his desire to win a European trophy before he departs Anfield this summer. “Probably the question is, ‘How big is the desire to win a European trophy?’ And yeah, it would be cool, but nothing to do with that [his departure]. Last year when I stayed, I wanted to win something but it was just not possible, so yeah, nobody has to worry about that,” the German coach said.
Earlier this year, Klopp surprised everyone by announcing his decision to step down as the Liverpool coach at the end of the season. The Merseyside outfit will be hoping to have an incredibly successful season to give Klopp the perfect farewell. The Reds currently sit atop the Premier League and are the favourites to lift the Europa League as well. They have already lifted the Carabao Cup this season.
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