March 07, (THEWILL)- Darwin Nunez etched his name into Liverpool’s history books by scoring the 1,000th goal of Jurgen Klopp’s reign, but the Uruguayan’s landmark strike was overshadowed by an injury blow in the Reds’ comfortable 5-1 Europa League win over Sparta Prague.
Despite the resounding victory, Liverpool’s preparations for Sunday’s highly anticipated English Premier League title clash with Manchester City, took a hit with the loss of central defender, Ibrahima Konate, to injury. Nunez bagged a brace, with his first strike in the 25th minute, proving crucial in quelling a sustained spell of pressure from the Czech hosts.
After Alexis Mac Allister had given Liverpool the lead from the penalty spot, Nunez proved his individual brilliance by cutting in from the left and whipping a dipping 25-yard effort beyond the reach of goalkeeper, Peter Vindahl. The potent Uruguay international effectively sealed the tie on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Mac Allister’s exquisite through ball and lashing it across Vindahl and into the far corner.
Luis Diaz added a fourth, while Klopp had the luxury of introducing Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah from the bench, with the former scoring Liverpool’s fifth to round off the comprehensive victory.
Yet, Konate’s injury represents an unwanted headache for Klopp ahead of the highly anticipated showdown with City at Anfield. Klopp will be acutely aware that a performance of similar calibre will be required against the reigning champions if Liverpool are to maintain their title charge.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
