Sparta Prague vs Liverpool LIVE – score, Diaz, Nunez and Mac Allister goals, Konate injury scare and stream
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool live coverage including score updates, goals, highlights, analysis and TV details from the Reds’ latest Europa League clash
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BY JOE RIMMER, IAN DOYLE, PAUL GORST, STEPHEN KILLEN, KEIFER MACDONALD
UPDATED19:19, 7 MAR 2024
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Sparta Prague vs Liverpool
Liverpool are back in European action on Thursday night as they take on Sparta Prague in the first leg of the Europa League last-16.
Mohamed Salah has travelled to Prague with the rest of the Reds’ 23-man squad and could make just his second appearance for Liverpool since New Year’s Day if he is called upon.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo have also travelled but teenage striker Jayden Danns has missed out on a potential European debut for the club after suffering from a concussion, sustained against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Should Liverpool get the job done in Prague tonight, it will ensure Jurgen Klopp has the opportunity to rotate his squad for next week’s second leg, which falls between games against Manchester City and Manchester United.
Liverpool FC correspondent Paul Gorst is in Prague to bring you all of the live updates from the Epet Arena. Meanwhile, Chief Liverpool Writer Ian Doyle completes the partnership, this from ECHO HQ.
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KEY EVENTS
GOAL! Sparta Prague 1-4 Liverpool (Diaz)
18:57
GOAL! Sparta Prague 1-3 Liverpool (Bradley og)
18:50
Half-time: Sparta Prague 0-3 Liverpool
18:35
GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-3 Liverpool (Nunez)
18:33
GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-2 Liverpool (Nunez)
18:10
GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-1 Liverpool (Mac Allister)
17:51
19:18IAN DOYLE
Final change
Salah comes on for Diaz, who was among the goalscorers earlier.
19:17IAN DOYLE
Yo here’s Mo
The Liverpool winger is about to come on.
19:10IAN DOYLE
Another change
Clark is on for Mac Allister to make his European debut. The way things are going, enough time for Clark to be on the pitch for about three goals.
18:58PAUL GORST
Happy Diaz
Luis Diaz has tucked away a fourth for Liverpool to restore that three-goal cushion. It was a bit of a poked finish in all honesty but it was needed as Sparta are absolutely refusing to lie down.
18:57KEY EVENT
GOAL! Sparta Prague 1-4 Liverpool (Diaz)
Okay that’s quite enough goals now.
18:54IAN DOYLE
And another change
Nunez is off, he’s been replaced by Szoboszlai.
18:54IAN DOYLE
Another change
Van Dijk comes on for Konate.
18:53IAN DOYLE
All going wrong for Liverpool
Sparta should pull back another goal and it’s a save by Kelleher from Haraslin.
Konate pulls up with what looks like a hamstring problem in back play. His race appears to be run. This is exactly what Liverpool didn’t want.
18:52PAUL GORST
1-3
That’a not an ideal start to the second half for the Reds who have conceded through a Conor Bradley own goal. He tried to cut out the cross and could only divert it into the top corner. Think that was his first touch too. Sparta have a lifeline.
18:52IAN DOYLE
Own goal mistake
A goal in the first minute of the half as Sparta get one back.
Bradley has come on for Gomez, and his first touch is to belt into his own goal as he tries to defend a cross after Birmoncevic had got in behind Quansah down the right.
18:50KEY EVENT
GOAL! Sparta Prague 1-3 Liverpool (Bradley og)
Whoops.
18:49IAN DOYLE
One change
Liverpool begin the second half with Bradley on for Gomez.
18:45IAN DOYLE
Nunez incident
After the third goal went in, as Nunez celebrated something was thrown from the crowd that caught him a glancing blow in the midriff. It wasn’t a direct hit but it was enough for him to notice it. The referee may have had a word with the Liverpool striker about it as they went off at half-time. Worth keeping an eye on that situation.
18:35PAUL GORST
Ratings
Caoimhin Kelleher 8
Made a handful of excellent stops and one claim that left him flattened and winded but was much needed at the time. Taking his chance to shine in Alisson’s absence.
Joe Gomez 7
Mr Versatile is back on the right side of defence, filling in the hybrid role when needed. Such an integral part of this Liverpool squad now.
Jarell Quansah 7
Unfussed as usual alongside his more experienced colleagues. Developing into a real player for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Ibrahima Konate 8
Two important interventions denied Preciado at 1-0 and was rock solid against the tricky Haraslin. A real leader at the back.
Andy Robertson 6
Captain for night. Sparta’s threat has come mainly down his side but offering his usual output down the flank. Some dangerous deliveries from corners too.
Wataru Endo 7
Growing in importance and stature by the week. A real defensive specialist in that midfield area. Was fortunate to escape a booking for hauling down Haraslin to deny a counter-attack.
Alexis Mac Allister 8
Won the penalty with expert pressing and finished it off calmly under pressure from a noisy home end. Typically excellent in possession.
Harvey Elliott 6
Neat and tidy in possession and always looking to keep Liverpool on the front foot. Will be disappointed with a scuffed shot on his right foot when well placed.
Luis Diaz 7
Struggled to get into the game early on but grew into it as it wore on. Pass to Gakpo late on deserved an assist.
Cody Gakpo 7
A willing runner on the right flank but no doubt feels more at home through the centre or off the left. Working hard trying to make things happen. Almost made it 3-0 late in the half.
Darwin Nunez 9
Some strike to bring up his 15th goal of the campaign. Came at an important time too with Sparta fighting back well at 1-0. He second one was superb too. A player now in real form.
18:35KEY EVENT
Half-time: Sparta Prague 0-3 Liverpool
That scoreline doesn’t reflect the first half. Sparta have been decent but Liverpool have been very clinical.
18:34IAN DOYLE
Nunez at the double
Mac Allister plays a ball upfield, it bounces in front of Nunez who thinks that looks nice and belts it into the far corner. Tremendous goal.
18:33KEY EVENT
GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-3 Liverpool (Nunez)
Oh my.
18:31IAN DOYLE
Additional time
We’ll have another three minutes of this in the first half.
18:30IAN DOYLE
Diaz this time
Liverpool starting to create chances at the end of the half. Mac Allister plays a short one to Diaz and the shot ends up going over.
18:29PAUL GORST
Should be 3-0
Gakpo probably should make it 3-0 but the goalkeeper denies him after he held off a challenge. That might have been the tie there and then inside the first quarter.
18:28IAN DOYLE
Gakpo chance
Gakpo hasn’t been in this game much but that was a smart shot on the turn inside the area and Sparta goalkeeper Vindahl does well to get down and parry it out. That might have been the tie over, let alone this leg.
18:23IAN DOYLE
Sloppy Reds
That came from a poor ball by Quansah into midfield towards Elliott, who wasn’t expecting it and was dispossessed. The more you see the replay of that miss from Birmancevic, the worse it gets. Dreadful.
18:22PAUL GORST
Should be 2-1.
Should be 2-1. Kelleher saves right into the path of Birmancevic. But he can’t sort his feet and it goes out for a goal kick. Kelleher has been superb by the way.
18:20IAN DOYLE
Endo over
A Liverpool corner isn’t properly cleared and Endo sends a difficult volley well over. Not much of a real opportunity, that one.
18:19IAN DOYLE
Spartan Sparta
Sparta are regularly getting in down the flanks but they aren’t getting the chances their play probably merits. Kuchta can’t properly get on the end of a powerful cross from Preciado and it dribbles through to Kelleher.
18:11PAUL GORST
What a goal, Nunez!
Well, I was saying about maybe getting a spell of possession but who needs that when you have Darwin Nunez doing silly things like that? He’s just spanked one in from about 25 yards to make it 2-0 and equal last season’s haul of 15 in all competitions.
18:10KEY EVENT
GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-2 Liverpool (Nunez)
Blimey.
18:10PAUL GORST
Spell of possession needed
Liverpool could simply use a spell of possession for a minute or two. Sparta have responded so well but the visitors are proving a tough nut to crack.
18:08IAN DOYLE
Kelleher up
Phew. The goalkeeper is okay to continue.
18:07PAUL GORST
Kelleher down
Kelleher is down inside the six-yard box after coming to claim a cross and hitting the deck hard. Hopefully it’s just winded him as they can ill afford to be without their deputy, whose having an excellent game by the way.
18:06IAN DOYLE
Kelleher to the rescue again
This time the goalkeeper turns over a header from Endo, who was trying to clear an effort but ended up threatening the Liverpool goal. Sparta are cranking up the pressure. It’s a huge game for them and they’re going to make the most of it.
18:05IAN DOYLE
Wake up again
Liverpool aren’t learning at all. Sparta are running at them with numbers and are getting through the midfield very easily. Time for a tactical change, perhaps.
18:02IAN DOYLE
Wake up
Liverpool have gone incredibly sloppy in the last few minutes and have been caught on the counter very easily. This time it comes to nothing but the visitors have had two big warnings now. Konate has been caught out twice, bit dozy.
18:02PAUL GORST
Sparta threatening
Sparta are threatening whenever they cross the halfway line in fairness to them. Haraslin is causing problems with his movement. Feels like there are chances to be had at both ends here in the early going. An impressive response from the hosts to that early Mac Allister penalty.
18:00IAN DOYLE
Kelleher to the rescue
Not sure what happened there but Liverpool went asleep and Haraslin was completely clear for a tap in.
Kelleher made a remarkable save and then Gomez cleared off the line. That was quite a let-off.
17:58PAUL GORST
Good defending
That’s good defending from Preciado who kept pace with Nunez at full pelt on a breakaway before making sure his nod back to the goalkeper had enough weight on it. Nunez was haring after that all right.
17:57IAN DOYLE
Endo lucky
Endo just avoided a booking after a tug on Haraslin. Bit lucky to avoid censure there, the Liverpool midfielder.
17:53PAUL GORST
Liverpool pressing and purring
Liverpool’s pressing from the front has been noticeable already inside the first five minutes. Twice they have robbed Sparta of the ball on the edge of their box and one of them has led to a goal. Great start from the visitors.
It was Sorenson who dwelled on it too long and Mac Allister nipped it, took the ball and was brought down for the spot kick. Can Liverpool add a second and really shape the direction of this tie already?
17:51KEY EVENT
GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-1 Liverpool (Mac Allister)
It’s there!
17:50IAN DOYLE
Penalty
Liverpool have a penalty after Mac Allister was felled…
17:48PAUL GORST
Nunez chance
That’s a big early chance for Liverpool that from Nunez, but he can’t connect properly with the finish after rounding goalkeeper Vindahl. Might Diaz have had it instead?
17:45PAUL GORST
Underway
Harvey Elliott gets the game underway at Letna Stadion.
17:39PAUL GORST
Europa League knockouts…once more
I make this Liverpool’s first knockout tie in the Europa League since the 2016 final defeat to Sevilla in Basle.
It’s not a competition Liverpool will want to get used to, frankly, but there is a real opportunity for them to try and go all the way this season. They will massively fancy their chances as a standalone competition but where it gets complicated is how they can balance this alongside the Premier League and the FA Cup. Particularly with the players who are currently absent. Still, though, the road to Dublin resumes tonight and Klopp has gone strong.
17:34IAN DOYLE
Klopp chat
Jurgen Klopp has been talking to TNT Sports about his team selection. It wasn’t particularly explosive*…
It proves how much we want to win the game, that’s true. We have players available and we had to make some decisions about who should play now again. That (the team) is the outcome, the result of my thought process. It’s a good line-up and we have options on the bench, which will be good as well. It will be a tough game against a very positive optimistic opponent, we have to deal with that.
We didn’t have a rotation problem too often as we just played who was available. It’s never really a problem, if we can rotate that’s a luxury problem, not a problem. You can figure out how to use who and when but we haven’t had the problem for a long time. Now two or three have come back and hopefully more in the next few weeks. It stays intense, we play today, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, then the boys play two games in the internationals.
But we are used to it. It’s not a problem, as long as we have our players!
Klopp also gave a hint over the fitness of Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.
Dom a bit more than Mo. Not because of the injuries they’ve had but Dom has been longer in training. They are not injured anymore so that’s good. How fit they are we will find out.
(* Yes, I have been waiting a while for the opportunity to say that. No apologies necessary)
17:30PAUL GORST
Musialowski on the bench
Perhaps a surprise to see Mateusz Musialowski on the bench today. It feels like a long time now since the young Polish winger was making his name at the Academy and there had been talk that he was in line to move on at the end of this season after he stayed on the books in January. He’s here with the seniors today though. It’s unlikely he gets the nod unless there’s a healthy lead and Klopp is determined to rest his seniors but a little reminder that he is still around the fringes, at least. He is a real talent on his day.
17:26IAN DOYLE
Injury alert
One of the more interesting things from the press conference last night could easily have been overlooked.
Klopp was reminded of going head to head with Sparta boss Brian Priske when Liverpool took on Midtjylland in the Champions League a few years ago.
The Reds boss wasn’t enthused by some of the rough play. That might be something Liverpool are wary of this evening. After all, it’s not like they’ve had any injuries lately, is it?
17:14STEPHEN KILLEN
A bit of spice ahead of this weekend
Trent Alexander-Arnold may be suffering from a knee injury but he is pulling strings off the pitch. And in the build-up to the top-of-the-table encounter with Manchester City, he has added some fuel to the Premier League title fire.
He has goaded some of the City fans this week with his comments. Did you miss them? Fear not.
Alexander-Arnold said: “It’s difficult. You’re up against a machine that’s built to win -that’s the simplest way to describe City and their organisation.”
In an interview with Four Four Two, he commented. “Looking back on this era, although they’ve won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs, financially. How both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we’ve done it, probably means more to our fans.”
And now, Alexander-Arnold has ruffled the feathers of Manchester City star Erling Haaland. The Norwegian said: “If he wants to say that okay, I have been here one year and I won the treble – it was quite a nice feeling. I don’t think he knows exactly this feeling. That’s what I felt last season, it was quite nice.
“They can talk as much as they want, or he can talk as much as he wants. I don’t know why he does that but I don’t mind.
“Last year, I think we were in a quite interesting title race, maybe someone put us away from the title at one point. It’s a nice thing, it’s what is so nice about the Premier League, there is so many who are so good and I think there are so many who can win. In the last (few) years, it has been Manchester City so we will try to do it again. It won’t be easy but we are good.”
Hold onto ‘yer hats, folks.
Erling Haaland has aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Liverpool after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s comments.(Image: Sky Sports)
17:13PAUL GORST
Injuries easing
Liverpool may still have far too many on the treatment table for their liking but they have been able to enjoy some positive news on the injury front in recent days. Since the Nottingham Forest game they have been able to welcome back Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah. I suspect Ibrahima Konate might be used for 45 minutes tonight with Virgil van Dijk arriving in the second half and maybe Szoboszlai will emerge for Elliott or Mac Allister too. It’s all about carefully managing the minutes at the moment given the delicate situation.
17:11STEPHEN KILLEN
Patrik Berger faces a difficult night
Patrik Berger is a feature for TNT Sports’ coverage tonight.
He’s a man with a foot in both camps.
He says he is surprised by Jurgen Klopp’s selection but it shows his intent in the competition.
The 50-year-old says he will cheer “a little bit more” for Liverpool. He knows the score or wants an invite to the ex-players dinner next year but hey ho!
Flashback. Liverpool vs FC Sion at Anfield in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup on 31 Oct 1996. Patrik Berger celebrates his his goal in the 6-3 win. Photo by Colin Lane
16:56PAUL GORST
Pivotal couple of weeks
This is a couple of weeks that could really make or break Liverpool’s season.
This Europa League tie is played across two weeks that also sees Manchester City hosted in the Premier League and Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
It means Klopp will have to be particularly adept at juggling the options. Even more so than he has been.
It really feels like this is a major fortnight for the Reds starting tonight.
