Darwin Nunez’s stunning performance led Liverpool to a 5-1 victory over Sparta Prague in the Europa League match.
In an exciting Europa League match between Sparta Prague and Liverpool, it was Uruguayan sensation Darwin Nunez who stole the show with a magnificent performance. The 25-year-old striker scored two crucial goals in the 25th and 45 3rd minutes to lead his team to a convincing 5-1 victory.
That being said, all eyes, however were on Liverpool’s star striker Mohamed Salah, who was making his highly anticipated return after being sidelined due to injury. Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool manager had earlier expressed his concern about Salah’s fitness and decision to include him in the starting lineup. “We will be careful with Salah’s return, we don’t want to rush him back into action,” Klopp said in a pre-match press conference.
But to everyone’s delight, Salah was declared fit and started the game against Sparta Prague. The Egyptian forward looked sharp and posed a constant threat to the opposition’s defense. It was evident that his presence on the pitch had a positive impact on Liverpool’s performance.
The Reds started the game on the front foot, dominating the possession and creating numerous chances. First goal came as a result of a penalty kick from Alexis Mac Allister. In the 25th minute, a well-placed pass from Harvey Elliott found Nunez out of the box who made no mistake in slotting the ball into the back of the net. The Uruguayan’s goal sent the Liverpool fans into a frenzy and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Sparta Prague tried to push forward and create opportunities of their own. Fortunately, Liverpool’s defense was rock solid. Quanseh and Konate were impressive at the back, controlling the game and not allowing SPP’s attackers any space to work with.
In the 45 3rd minute, Nunez once again found himself in a scoring position, thanks to a perfectly weighted through-ball Assisted from Alexis Mac Allister. The young striker showed great composure and slotted the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 3-0 for the Reds just before half-time.
In the second half, Liverpool continued to dominate, with Nunez’s brace and goals from Luis Díaz (53’) Dominik Szoboszlai (90’ 4′) sealing a comfortable 5-1 win for the English side. SPP did manage to score a consolation goal in the 46th minute which was own Goal by Conor Bradley.