Liverpool bounced back from their recent league defeat to Manchester City with a dominant 6-3 victory over Lask in Austria, preserving their 100% record in the Champions League. Manager Andoni Iraola, who had defended his squad’s performance against City, saw his faith rewarded as his team overcame the Austrian side in a high-scoring encounter in Linz. Liverpool cleansed themselves from the stains of defeat by Manchester City at the earliest opportunity. His faith and confidence were rewarded as his team routed limited opponents who may have surprised themselves to score three in consolation. The home end was full and in strong voice over an hour before kick-off as Lask supporters came to savour their club’s first home game in the Champions League proper. In fairness to the Austrian crowd, their support rarely wavered even as a rout unfolded, the Lask team proved to be much less impressive though. Liverpool revelled in their superiority and the invitation to recover from Sunday’s first defeat of the season. He would find his range from the stand-in captain’s next set piece.
Seeking to manage player fatigue ahead of the weekend trip to Brentford, Iraola rested Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister. A new-look defensive pairing of Ronald Araújo and Jérémy Jacquet took the pitch, with Araújo making an immediate impact by heading in the opening goal from a Kostas Tsimikas corner. Just 96 seconds later, Bradley Barcola netted his first goal for the club, converting a pass from Lewis Koumas after Rio Ngumoha created the initial opening. Barcola, a £123m signing from Paris Saint-Germain, soon added a second, latching onto a precise through ball from Florian Wirtz to extend Liverpool’s advantage. A new-look central defence of Araújo and Jérémy Jacquet were given a physical test by the Lask strikers Samuel Adeniran and Krystof Danek but handled the hosts’ rudimental approach comfortably. It was the on-loan defender’s ball that Wirtz took in his stride before gliding between two Lask players and testing the goalkeeper, Lukas Jungwirth, with a low shot.
The visitors were remarkably aggressive, tallying 19 attempts on goal during the first half—the highest count by an away side in the competition since 2003-04. Despite the one-sided nature of the play, Lask supporters maintained a vibrant atmosphere in the stands. The attacking surge continued after the break, with Jeremie Frimpong heading home a Tsimikas cross to make it 4-0.
Although Alisson saw his clean sheet spoiled by a strike from Lask substitute Robert Ljubicic, Liverpool’s momentum remained unchecked. Barcola secured his hat-trick following a low cross from Frimpong, and Koumas added his name to the scoresheet after capitalising on a defensive error by the hosts. Lask’s Florian Flecker managed to add two late consolation goals, both assisted by Yvan Dibango, but the result was never in doubt.
The victory serves as a significant boost for the squad, particularly for Barcola and Wirtz, who have faced scrutiny regarding their adaptation to the team. By rotating his squad effectively, Iraola ensured his team remained competitive on the European stage while keeping key personnel rested for upcoming domestic commitments.
