LINZ — Bradley Barcola scored his first career hat-trick as Liverpool beat LASK 6-3 in Linz to return to winning ways in the Champions League, just the fifth hat-trick by a Liverpool player in an away match in the European Cup or Champions League. The 24-year-old struck twice before the break with his right foot and left foot before adding a tap-in after half-time on the 238th appearance of his career across club and country combined, sealing victory after Sunday's 3-0 loss to Manchester City.
Manager Andoni Iraola, who had defended his big-money signings on the eve of the tie, said he trusted his players "100%" and insisted the focus was on the collective, even with £116m spent on Florian Wirtz and £123m on Barcola. Wirtz delivered a fine display with an assist, but Barcola proved the match-winner. "I'm really happy for Bradley," Iraola said. "You were asking me yesterday about him not making the numbers and [the same with] Florian and I think both of them today played really, really well. I think they made a difference. Bradley was a threat, always when one-on-one [and] certainly in behind. He helped us a lot to control the game, finding the pockets." He added: "I think he has to enjoy this [as] to score a hat-trick in the Champions League is always very difficult."
Liverpool were relentless in the first half against the Austrian Bundesliga champions, racing into a three-goal lead and registering 19 shots before the interval — the most on record since 2003-04 by any team in the first half of a Champions League away match. Jeremie Frimpong scored and registered two assists while Kostas Tsimikas added two assists of his own, Ronald Araujo scored his first goal for the club since joining in the summer and Lewis Koumas also got on the scoresheet. Koumas, 21, had two goals ruled out for offside but his first-half assist for Barcola meant he became the youngest player to score and assist in a Champions League match for Liverpool at 21 years and 25 days, surpassing Steven Gerrard's record of 21 years and 139 days against Dynamo Kyiv in 2001.
Liverpool were guilty of becoming a little complacent in the second half, conceding three goals after the hour mark, but the job was all but done against a LASK side winless in their last four matches. Speaking on 5 Live, Stephen Warnock cautioned against reading too much into the result. "I don't read too much into it, because I expected Liverpool to go there and win, and win comfortably," he said, noting Trey Nyoni had no pressure in midfield and Barcola had the run of his full-back who was taken off at half-time. Warnock added the acid test will come at Brentford on Saturday, with the Bees fourth in the table and unbeaten in the league: "Can Barcola do that again, away at Brentford, because that is what they have essentially bought him for."