Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague [11-2 agg]: Reds waltz into quarter-finals after commanding display at Anfield

Liverpool waltzed into the Europa League quarter-finals after vanquishing Sparta Prague 6-1 at Anfield to mark their eighth win in nine games and equal their biggest margin of victory over a two-legged tie in European football.

Goals from Darwin Nunez, Bobby Clark, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai put Brian Priske's side to the sword as they recorded their third victory in as many games against Czech opposition.

It was a serene night on Merseyside where the incandescent hosts ran riot. 

Jurgen Klopp's men were up by four goals in under 15 minutes and - if they hadn't shown mercy - it could have been double digits. It was a suicide mission from The Maroons and one that was destined to crash and burn from the start.

The three-time winners of the competition are now just the second English team to win nine successive Europa League games on home soil after Chelsea did so between 2013 and 2019. 

Liverpool travel to Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday and will find out their remaining European opponents tomorrow afternoon.

Whether the Reds go on to lift all four trophies this season is uncertain. One thing is for sure, though: every team will be hoping to avoid them in Friday's draw.

• STORY OF THE MATCH

Virgil van Dijk warned in his programme notes Liverpool could not afford to let standards drop and take their foot off the gas, despite boasting a 5-1 lead from the first leg. 

Heeding his captain's words, Klopp made just four changes from Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester City. Harvey Elliott, who had played every minute of this season's European campaign, was replaced by Bobby Clark.

Endo, who has started every game in the competition so far, and Szoboszlai, making his full European debut, completed the midfield triumvirate.

Salah started for his 74th appearance in Europe, moving him into joint-10th place on the club's all-time European appearance list, alongside Jordan Henderson and Phil Neal.

Historically, Sparta struggle against English opposition. Prior to this evening they had won only one of their last 17 games, with their last victory in England taking place in 1984 against Watford.

But not even those harrowing statistics could have foreshadowed the rout that would take place, with the visitors 4-0 down before the 15-minute mark.

Seven minutes in Szoboszlai picked the ball up on the right and cut it back to Nunez, who had ample space and time in the box. The Uruguayan calmly swept past Peter Vindahl for his ninth goal in 11 games.

Mere seconds after play had restarted the lead was doubled. Sparta relinquished possession deep in their own territory, succumbing to pressure from Salah. Clark, making his first European start, latched on to the loose ball and slid home for his first senior goal.

This was a night where records were going to be broken. And Salah, Liverpool's record-breaker-in-chief, made sure of that moments later.

Clark turned provider and pilfered possession from Jaroslav Zeleny, who hadn't learnt his lesson about playing with fire.

The Egyptian winger accepted the invitation to shoot with alacrity, dispatching into the bottom left corner for his 20th goal of the campaign, becoming the first Liverpool player in history to reach this tally in seven consecutive seasons.

The hosts smelt blood and the goals kept flowing. Gakpo got in on the act, drilling past a deserted Vindahl for his 12th goal of the season. It was the quickest a team had ever been four goals up in a game in a major European competition since 1971.

It should have been five 10 minutes before half time but the visitors were reprieved by Nunez's gilt-edged miss from less than six yards out.

They grabbed a consolation three minutes before the break, Veljko Birmancevic rolling past Caoimhin Kelleher to muted celebrations from his teammates - but not from the 3000 buoyant travelling supporters, who had been bouncing all night.

With Sunday's trip to Old Trafford in mind, Klopp made a triple change at the break.

Nunez, Joe Gomez, who had been included in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium earlier this afternoon, and Waturu Endo made way for Kostas Tsimikas, Elliott and James McConnell.

And the second half began in a similar vein to the first to continue Sparta's never-ending nightmare. Two minutes after the restart, Szoboszlai added a fifth with a rasping drive, aided by a ricochet off Ladislav Krejci. It secured a hat-trick of assists for Salah on his first start since New Year's Day.

It was another deflection that led to Liverpool's sixth and Gakpo's second of the night, the Dutchman guiding Elliott's drive from distance past a stranded Vindahl. A penny for his thoughts.

Mateusz Musialowski entered the fray in the 74th minute for his senior debut as the Reds cantered to the Europa League quarter-finals.

• PLAYER OF THE MATCH - MOHAMED SALAH