Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat LASK Linz 6-3 in the Champions League, with the £123million winger netting his first goals at Anfield in an Austrian goal fest. The Frenchman scored twice in the first half as Andoni Iraola's side led 3-0 at the break before adding his third after the interval.
First-Half Onslaught
Ronald Araujo opened the scoring with his first Liverpool goal from a corner after 22 minutes. Barcola then slotted home two minutes later and added a third in the 37th minute with a great touch and finish, gaining crucial confidence and sharpness after missing pre-season with PSG.
Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also found the net for Liverpool, while Florian Wirtz linked up well with Barcola. Alexander Isak, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo were missing through injury, with Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister rested, allowing youngsters Rio Ngumoha and Koumas to feature.
Second-Half Goals and Defensive Lapses
Liverpool added a fourth five minutes into the second half. Captain Kostas Tsimikas clipped a looped cross to the back post for the 5ft 7 Frimpong to score a header. Robert Ljubicic then scored with his first touch shortly after the hour mark, leaving Alisson furious and Van Dijk deflated having failed to block the shot just minutes after coming on.
Barcola tapped in from three yards to finish Frimpong's low cross, restoring a four-goal cushion. Koumas then swept Frimpong's cross through the legs of Lukas Jungwirth for his goal, having seen two earlier strikes ruled out for offside. LASK scored a second as Florian Flecker headed in from close range after Frimpong was found napping and allowed Yvan Dibango to ghost inside him. Dibango added his third assist, finding Flecker unmarked again.
Defensive Concerns and Next Fixtures
After Araujo and Jeremy Jacquet were replaced on the hour mark, Liverpool's defence lost control, with Tsimikas and Frimpong found wanting and Van Dijk and Joe Gomez unable to manage the game. The Raiffeisen Arena was bouncing but the ultras couldn't encourage their players into shaping an upset.
Liverpool are now two wins from two in the Champions League and will fancy making it three when they host Villarreal next Tuesday after heading to Brentford on Saturday.
