Liverpool claimed their second consecutive Champions League victory on Wednesday, defeating LASK 6-3 in Austria, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick and Florian Wirtz delivering a standout performance, according to Sky Sports.
The result came against the Austrian Bundesliga champions and marked a breakout night for Barcola, who had not registered a goal or an assist in six appearances since his £123m transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Ronald Araujo headed in his first goal for the club, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also found the net, and Wirtz impressed after recent criticism, Sky Sports reported.
Why it matters
For Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, the match offered evidence that his attacking players can function together, even if questions remain at the back. Sky Sports noted that finding balance in this Liverpool side was a factor in Arne Slot's dismissal and something Iraola has struggled with early in his tenure.
The attacking output had also been a concern. According to Sky Sports, Liverpool had created just nine big chances in the Premier League this season, the joint-fewest alongside Aston Villa and Coventry. Against LASK, that attack clicked — albeit against weaker opposition than Liverpool face domestically.
Barcola's performance carries particular weight. A marquee signing who had yet to contribute a goal or assist, he now has a hat-trick to his name and, as Sky Sports put it, will hope he has ignited his Liverpool career. Wirtz, meanwhile, answered calls for him to be dropped with what Sky Sports described as a confidence-boosting display.
A record-setting first half
Liverpool's opening period was relentless. Sky Sports reported that the visitors registered 19 shots in the first half, a new record for an away team in the first half of a Champions League match.
Araujo opened the scoring with a header before Barcola scored twice — first with a tidy finish, then from a pass by Wirtz. Sky Sports noted that Trey Nyoni, 19, impressed in midfield alongside Ryan Gravenberch.
Six minutes after the break, Frimpong met a Kostas Tsimikas cross with a header that went in off the post to make it four.
Iraola had benched Virgil van Dijk in Austria, only the third time the defender had been left out of Liverpool's 39 Champions League games since 2022, per Sky Sports. When Van Dijk and Joe Gomez were brought on at centre-back in the 62nd minute, Liverpool conceded three goals.
Barcola completed his hat-trick with a tap-in from a Frimpong cross, following Robert Ljubicic's consolation for LASK. Koumas, leading the line in Alexander Isak's absence, scored Liverpool's sixth after having two efforts disallowed for offside. Florian Flecker then scored twice in two minutes late on, with Sky Sports describing Liverpool's defending as sloppy and noting it took some shine off the win.
Iraola's assessment
Speaking after the match, Iraola praised Barcola's overall contribution rather than just his finishing. "I think he played so well today and not just the goals," the manager said, according to Sky Sports. "He had more chances to score, he was always a threat attacking the spaces in behind. In training, sometimes you feel when a player is in the zone, and fortunately tonight for us, he has shown the level that he has."
On Wirtz, Iraola said: "I think he was amazing in possession. I think he had lively passes, good assists, he helped us to control the game. Especially in the first half where he was roaming around and finding good spots. It was a good game from Florian."
The manager was less pleased with the defensive collapse. "Probably the reason why the manager shouldn't change both centre-backs, but we were already winning 4-0 and you have to think about the next game and saving the legs of the players," he said. "We didn't defend properly at the end of the game."
What to watch
Sky Sports framed the night as one where much went right for Liverpool but defensive concerns persisted — and pointedly, the problems began once the experienced pairing of Van Dijk and Gomez replaced the untested partnership of Jeremy Jacquet and Araujo.
Liverpool remain, in Sky Sports' assessment, very much a work in progress as Iraola searches for a formula that blends his big-money signings with a new style of play. The next test will show whether the attacking fluency on display in Austria can hold up against stronger opposition — and whether the defensive lapses that followed the centre-back changes prove to be a one-off or a pattern.
