Bradley Barcola scored his first Liverpool goals in spectacular fashion, grabbing a hat-trick as the Reds defeated LASK 6-3 in Austria on Wednesday night to maintain their perfect start to the Champions League.
The £123million summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain had endured a frustrating start to his Anfield career, failing to score in his first six appearances. But any concerns about his finishing were emphatically answered at the Raiffeisen Arena, where the Frenchman produced the first hat-trick of his senior career.
Ronald Araujo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also found the net as Andoni Iraola’s side delivered an emphatic response to Sunday’s disappointing 3-0 Premier League defeat against Manchester City.
It was a remarkable evening of attacking football, with Liverpool scoring six goals away from home in Europe’s premier club competition for only the third time in their history.
Yet there was a frustrating side to the victory. Having established a commanding 6-1 lead, Liverpool conceded twice in quick succession, providing another reminder that their defensive problems have not disappeared.
Nevertheless, with six points from their opening two Champions League fixtures, the Reds have made precisely the start they wanted in Europe.
Liverpool overwhelm LASK in dominant first half
Iraola made four changes to the side beaten by Manchester City, handing starts to Kostas Tsimikas, Frimpong, Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha.
Tsimikas was also given the captain’s armband, with Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Milos Kerkez and Victor Munoz dropping to the bench.
The average age of Liverpool’s starting XI was just over 24, making it the club’s third-youngest line-up in Champions League history.
Any suggestion that the changes might disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm was quickly dismissed.
The visitors dominated possession and created opportunities almost at will, eventually registering 19 shots before half-time — a Champions League record for an away team in the opening 45 minutes since detailed records began in 2002-03.
The breakthrough arrived in the 22nd minute when Araujo met Tsimikas’ corner with a powerful header to register his first Liverpool goal.
Just two minutes later, the advantage was doubled.
Ngumoha drove into the penalty area, Koumas reacted sharply to keep the move alive and Barcola finished first time to finally open his Liverpool account.
The relief was obvious, but there was little time for celebration as Liverpool continued to pour forward.
Koumas had an effort ruled out for offside, Ryan Gravenberch struck the inside of the post and Barcola saw another attempt cleared off the line.
LASK were struggling to cope with Liverpool’s movement, particularly the understanding developing between Barcola and Florian Wirtz.
That combination produced the third goal in the 37th minute, with Wirtz providing the pass and Barcola finishing from close range.
Liverpool went into the interval leading 3-0, although the scoreline barely reflected the extent of their dominance.
Barcola completes his hat-trick as Reds hit six
Liverpool showed no intention of easing off after the restart.
Six minutes into the second half, Tsimikas delivered an excellent cross towards the far post, where Frimpong rose impressively to direct a header beyond goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth.
At 4-0, Liverpool appeared to be heading towards an even more comprehensive victory.
Koumas had another goal disallowed for offside before LASK finally began to offer some resistance.
Alisson Becker was called upon to make a sharp save from Krystof Danek, but he could do little to prevent Robert Ljubicic pulling a goal back in the 63rd minute.
Liverpool’s response was almost immediate.
Three minutes later, Frimpong delivered a low cross into the penalty area and Barcola arrived at the back post to complete his hat-trick.
It was a historic moment for the Frenchman, who became the first player from his country to score a hat-trick for Liverpool.
The treble was also the first of Barcola’s senior career, coming in his 238th appearance across club and international football.
Liverpool were not finished.
In the 72nd minute, Frimpong supplied another dangerous delivery and Koumas finally got the goal his performance deserved, finishing from close range to make it 6-1.
The youngster had already seen two efforts ruled out, so his persistence was rewarded.
However, what should have been a comfortable conclusion became unnecessarily untidy.
Florian Flecker struck twice in three minutes, scoring in the 74th and 77th minutes as Liverpool’s defensive concentration deserted them.
The Austrian side had managed just one goal in the opening 72 minutes but suddenly scored twice in quick succession.
Liverpool’s victory was never seriously threatened, although conceding three goals against opponents they had dominated so convincingly will undoubtedly concern Iraola.
Koumas follows in Gerrard’s footsteps
While Barcola understandably claimed the headlines, Koumas produced a performance that deserves considerable recognition.
Making his first Champions League start, the young forward played an important part in Liverpool’s second goal before eventually scoring their sixth.
At 21 years and 25 days old, Koumas became the youngest Liverpool player to score and assist in the same Champions League match.
The previous record belonged to Steven Gerrard, who was 21 years and 139 days old when he achieved the feat against Dynamo Kyiv in October 2001.
It is an impressive piece of Liverpool history for a player still establishing himself at senior level.
His contribution was about more than the statistics, too.
Koumas worked tirelessly across the attacking line, reacted intelligently to opportunities and continued making runs despite the frustration of having two goals disallowed.
Ngumoha also offered plenty of encouragement with his direct running, while Nyoni impressed in midfield alongside Gravenberch.
For Iraola, the performances of those younger players were particularly significant.
Liverpool’s fixture schedule will demand rotation, and Wednesday’s display demonstrated that several members of the younger generation are capable of making meaningful contributions on the European stage.
Wirtz and Barcola answer their critics
There had been considerable scrutiny surrounding Liverpool’s expensive summer recruits following the disappointing defeat against Manchester City.
Barcola, in particular, had struggled to make the immediate impact expected following his £123million arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
Six appearances without a goal or assist had inevitably attracted attention, especially given the size of the transfer fee.
Wirtz had also faced criticism, with questions being asked about his performances and whether he deserved to retain his starting place.
Both responded impressively in Austria.
Barcola’s three goals will dominate the discussion, but Wirtz was influential throughout, finding space between the lines and repeatedly helping Liverpool unlock the LASK defence.
His understanding with Barcola was one of the most encouraging aspects of the evening.
There is, of course, a considerable difference between producing an outstanding performance against LASK and delivering consistently against Europe’s strongest sides.
One match does not settle every question surrounding two expensive signings.
However, confidence matters enormously in football, particularly for attacking players, and Barcola will surely benefit from finally getting off the mark.
After waiting six matches for his first Liverpool goal, he now has three.
Six goals scored, but defensive questions remain
There is no disguising the attacking quality Liverpool displayed in Austria.
Their 26 attempts equalled the club’s record for shots in an away Champions League match, while the nine-goal encounter was Liverpool’s highest-scoring European fixture since the unforgettable 5-4 UEFA Cup final victory over Alavés in 2001.
Only twice previously had Liverpool scored six or more goals away from home in the European Cup or Champions League.
Those occasions came against Maribor in 2017, when the Reds won 7-0, and Rangers in 2022, when they recorded a 7-1 victory.
Wednesday’s result therefore belongs in some distinguished company.
But there is another side to those statistics.
LASK generated opportunities worth approximately 2.02 expected goals, suggesting their three goals were not simply the result of extraordinary finishing.
Yvan Dibango assisted all three of the home side’s goals, repeatedly exploiting weaknesses in Liverpool’s defensive organisation.
The fact that Liverpool conceded three times after establishing a four-goal advantage is particularly disappointing.
Iraola will be delighted with the movement, creativity and finishing of his attacking players, but the defensive lapses will need addressing before Liverpool encounter stronger opposition.
A side with serious ambitions in the Champions League cannot expect to score six goals every time its defence has an off night.
A memorable European night for Barcola
Ultimately, this was an evening Liverpool supporters will remember for Barcola’s breakthrough.
The Frenchman arrived at Anfield with enormous expectations and a transfer fee that guaranteed every performance would be scrutinised.
For six appearances, the goals refused to come.
Then, in the space of 42 minutes in Austria, he scored three.
It was the sort of performance that can transform a player’s confidence and change the conversation surrounding a new signing.
Liverpool also have reason to be encouraged by the contributions of Koumas, Ngumoha, Nyoni, Frimpong and Wirtz, all of whom played their part in an attacking display that frequently overwhelmed the home side.
The late defensive collapse prevented the victory from being quite as satisfying as it should have been, but the result was never in doubt.
More importantly, Liverpool have now won both of their opening Champions League league-phase matches, having previously defeated Atlético Madrid 2-1.
Villarreal visit Anfield next Tuesday, when Iraola’s side will attempt to make it three European victories from three.
There will be tougher tests ahead, and plenty for the Liverpool head coach to work on.
But after the disappointment against Manchester City, this was precisely the sort of attacking response Liverpool needed.
And for Bradley Barcola, it was a night when everything finally clicked.
Six goals for Liverpool, six points from six in Europe, and a first hat-trick for a Frenchman in the club’s history. Not a bad night’s work in Austria.