Will Wright scored a second-half hat-trick as Liverpool recovered from 2-0 down to beat LASK 4-2 in the UEFA Youth League at the Voestalpine Stadion on Wednesday afternoon.
Rob Page's side appeared to be heading to defeat in Austria before staging a remarkable late comeback. Wright's treble was complemented by a goal from 15-year-old Luca Eden, who became the Reds' youngest-ever goalscorer in the competition.
LASK take control
Liverpool fell behind midway through the first half when a miscommunication in defence over a long throw allowed Paul Krapf to score at the far post. LASK's consistent pressure resulted in a deserved second goal six minutes into the second half when skipper Jonas Ilk headed in a corner.
Wright then turned the game on its head by scoring twice inside three minutes around the hour mark. He finished confidently for the first goal after being released by Eden when Liverpool countered following a LASK strike on the crossbar, and then headed in a Finn Inglethorpe cross from the left.
Eden makes history
The striker turned provider on 84 minutes when he kept alive a missed opportunity and rolled the ball across for Eden to become the second-youngest English goalscorer in UEFA Youth League history after Arsenal's Max Dowman.
After substitute AJ Yeguo was felled a minute from time following a strong run into the area, Wright sent LASK goalkeeper Christof Katzmayr the wrong way from the spot to seal an astonishing victory.
Season so far
Wright now has nine goals in eight games of a profitable season that has previously seen him net in Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy. Liverpool have four points from their opening two UEFA Youth League games, having been held to a 2-2 draw by Atletico Madrid at home in their opener last month.
