Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat LASK 6-3 in Austria, The Guardian reports. Andoni Iraola's senior side produced 26 shots and received contributions from several players beyond the French forward. The Champions League result is separate from Liverpool U19's match against the same club.
Early goals give Liverpool control
Ronald Araújo headed in Kostas Tsimikas's corner for the opener. Barcola added two first-half goals, one following work from Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas and another supplied by Florian Wirtz. These were his first Liverpool goals after six appearances without a goal or assist, according to the report.
Liverpool registered 19 first-half attempts. They also had efforts disallowed for offside, while Ryan Gravenberch hit the post. Those chances illustrate the attacking pressure without adding to the official score.
A substantial win still includes defensive concessions
Jeremie Frimpong scored after the interval from another Tsimikas delivery. He subsequently supplied Barcola's hat-trick goal and Koumas's legitimate finish. LASK responded through Robert Ljubicic and two late Florian Flecker goals.
Iraola rested Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister to manage workloads before Saturday's visit to Brentford, pairing Araújo with Jérémy Jacquet in central defence. The performance therefore combined a response to the Manchester City defeat with personnel changes.
The coach praised Barcola and Wirtz for making a difference and expected a confidence benefit. That is a post-match assessment, rather than a guarantee about the next fixture; Liverpool's six goals also came alongside three conceded.