Liverpool FC news recap: Massive win, Salah record, Konate callup

Here's our Liverpool FC news recap for Thursday 14 March. The Reds thrashed Sparta Prague at Anfield in the UEFA Europa League.

Liverpool went into the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Last 16 tie knowing they were through, realistically. That didn't stop them from making sure they were really through, though.

The Reds hammered Sparta 6-1 at Anfield, winning 11-2 on aggregate in a game that saw a sensational start. We also witnessed Mohamed Salah break a record - something we're very used to by now.

This was also a day of international squad news and Liverpool got some interesting news in that regard.

Here's our Liverpool FC news roundup.

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Liverpool thrash Sparta Prague

Liverpool were 5-1 up from the first leg but that didn't stop Jurgen Klopp from naming a pretty strong 11 for this one. That showed itself very well, with the Reds immediately overwhelming Sparta.

Darwin Nunez scored early, then Bobby Clark scored early, then Mohamed Salah scored early, then Cody Gakpo scored early; Liverpool were 4-0 up after 13 minutes.

Things slowed down after that, but only really because the Reds wanted a calmer game. They still managed to score two more and concede one. 6-1 in all - 11-2 on aggregate and a statement to the rest of the competition.

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Mo Salah sets a record

Mo Salah went into the game on 19 goals this season. His early goal meant he became the first Liverpool player ever to score 20 goals in seven successive seasons.

Ian Rush very nearly did this, of course, but left for Juventus after six seasons of 20+ goals. His first season back saw him score just 11 times (though, he'd follow that with 28 and 30-goal campaigns).

Roger Hunt was awfully close, too, but had two seasons of 'only' 19 goals that prevented a streak like Salah's.

And so the Egyptian had an opportunity to make more history at Liverpool. He's already the club's all-time Premier League top scorer and fourth on the all-time list for all competitions.

Salah is also Liverpool's top-scorer in Europe and the more he plays, the more records he finds to break.

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Liverpool set records of their own

Liverpool made even more history on Thursday night as they raced to an 11-2 aggregate win in their Europa League last 16 second-leg tie against Sparta Prague.

By racing to a 4-0 second-leg lead in the space of just 14 minutes, Jurgen Klopp's side set a new record.

As noted by @OptaJoe on X (formerly known as Twitter), the remarkable feat marks the quickest a team has achieved such a commanding lead in a major European competition since Chelsea's triumph in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup back in September 1971.

In that game, the West Londoners racked up a 4-0 lead by the 13th minute against Luxembourgish side Jeunesse Hautcharage.

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Konate in France squad

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has been called up by France - despite currently nursing an injury. This could be a boost for the Reds.

France boss Didier Deschamps named his squad on Thursday for the upcoming friendlies. One notable name on the list was Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

Now, Konate is a regular for France, of course, but he's currently nursing an injury. The defender went off shortly after half-time against Sparta Prague last week with a problem - one that caused a bit of controversy.

Jurgen Klopp opted to leave Konate on beyond half-time despite the Reds' next game being against Manchester City. He only lasted another few minutes before picking up the knock that would rule him out of the meeting with the champions.

And so with Konate having been out for the last week, it's something of a surprise that France called him up. Maybe, though, it's actually a positive sign for Liverpool.

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Koumas faces decision

Liverpool's teenage talent Lewis Koumas could make his Wales Under-21 debut this month, but he remains eligible to play for both England and Wales at senior international level.

The 18-year-old forward has been in sensational form for Liverpool's youth teams, earning himself inclusion in Jurgen Klopp's first-team amid the rampant injury crisis.

Koumas, who is the son of former Premier League player Jason Koumas, was an unused sub for the Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea, while he marked his debut with a goal against Southampton in the 3-0 FA Cup win last month.

With the youngster rising to prominence in recent weeks, Wales are 'confident' of securing Koumas' international future, despite interest from England.

Koumas, who was born in Chester to Welsh parents, has been promoted to the Wales Under-21 set-up for the first time, having been being capped at Under-19 level previously.

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