Liverpool hammer Sparta Prague 5-1 with Nunez double

An early penalty by Alexis Mac Allister and a Darwin Nunez brace helped Liverpool to thrash Sparta Prague 5-1 in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.

After Mac Allister was taken down inside the box, the Argentine gave Liverpool the lead from the spot in the sixth minute.

Nunez doubled the advantage from a distance in the 25th, scoring just under the bar and leaving Sparta goalkeeper with no chance before making it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time.

Liverpool substitute Conor Bradley scored an own goal just after the break but the visitors restored their three-goal lead in the 53rd minute through Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai added a fifth in added time.