Liverpool’s easy victory against Sparta Prague in their last-16 first leg on Thursday night has put them one foot in the Europa League quarterfinals.
Darwin Nunez scored a spectacular first-half brace to give the Reds a 3-0 lead at the half, after Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring for the team with a penalty kick in the sixth minute.
Following the break, Conor Bradley sadly gave himself an own goal, but in the 53rd minute, Luis Diaz gave Liverpool their three-goal lead back.
When Mohamed Salah entered the game late on, the goal was disallowed by VAR for being offside even though he had already scored.
However, Dominik Szoboszlai’s goal for the Reds late into injury time gave them a commanding 5-1 first-leg lead, ensuring that Liverpool had the last word.
Harvey Elliott, a 20-year-old who recorded a hat-trick of assists, deserves a great deal of credit for his outstanding effort even if he was not recorded in the scorebook.
Elliott assisted in setting up both Nunez’s first goal and Diaz’s second. He also set up Szoboszlai’s late goal.
The former Fulham star received a seven out of ten from The Liverpool Echo, which noted that he was “neat and tidy in possession and always looking to keep Liverpool on the front foot.”
“Showcased his versatility in the second half by moving wide to the right.”
Harvey Elliott is still excellent for Liverpool as they strive for victory.
Additionally, according to Sofascore, Elliott put up some really strong numbers that evening.
The youthful player had a 96 percent pass accuracy rate and completed three crucial passes. In addition, he won two ground fights and received one attempt on board.
Elliott has had to exercise some patience at Liverpool, especially in light of the knee injury he sustained in the 2021–2022 season.
He has been an important player of the squad for the last two seasons, and he is currently receiving more starts.
In fact, during the last four games, Elliott has played the most minutes of any Liverpool player.
He truly is a star in the making, and given how young he is still, it will be fascinating to watch how he develops further.
When Elliott reaches his prime in his mid-to-late twenties, how good will he be?
