When Liverpool look back on this era in years to come, a mid-autumn visit to the quiet Danubian city of Linz may not immediately stand out. Yet Wednesday’s Champions League victory could prove to be an important turning point.
In Austria’s third-largest city, the much-criticised £123million signing Bradley Barcola finally opened his Liverpool account with a stylish hat-trick. For manager Andoni Iraola, it may also have been the night his football philosophy truly came to life.
Florian Wirtz, another player who has faced scrutiny, controlled the contest as Liverpool produced a fast, aggressive performance that overwhelmed Austrian champions LASK. The final score did not fully convey the Reds’ dominance, either in possession or without the ball.
Liverpool attacked with ferocious speed, scoring three times in a 16-minute spell during the first half. Ronald Araujo’s 22nd-minute header began a rout that left LASK goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth appearing desperate for the final whistle.
The result swept away any concern about a possible post-Manchester City hangover and, more importantly, restored confidence to Liverpool’s forwards before a demanding run of league matches against Brentford, Brighton and champions Arsenal.
“I’m really happy for Bradley because you were asking me yesterday about him not getting the numbers, and also Florian. Both of them played really, really well today,” Iraola said.
Bradley Barcola announced himself at Liverpool with a hat-trick against LASK on Wednesday
Lewis Koumas added his first goal of the season during a major confidence boost for the Reds
Liverpool must now carry that impressive European display into their next league fixture
“They made a difference. Aside from the hat-trick, I thought Bradley was a constant threat whenever he faced a one-on-one, particularly when running in behind. He also helped us control the game by finding space between the lines. I’m pleased for both of them.
“For their confidence, it is certainly very important. I think they now feel that we trust them a lot.
“Bradley has to enjoy this. Scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League is always difficult.
“Even in training, you could feel that he was very lively, and sometimes you get the sense that these things are about to happen.”
However, the performance will count for little if Liverpool fail to reproduce it in west London on Saturday. There have been flashes of quality in most matches this season, but Iraola’s biggest challenge has been maintaining that standard and carrying it from one game into the next.
Some observers will argue that Liverpool were expected to win comfortably because this was LASK’s first home appearance in the main Champions League draw. That may be fair, but it should not diminish the quality of a performance that was both effective and easy on the eye.
Celtic discovered just how difficult LASK can be at this ground, arriving in the qualifying rounds and suffering a 5-1 defeat. It is the kind of result likely to fuel the next debate about how the Scottish champions would perform in English football.
Barcola’s three-goal haul was Liverpool’s first away hat-trick since Mohamed Salah scored a treble at Ibrox against Rangers four years ago. The Frenchman was virtually impossible to contain, prompting the travelling supporters to sing that he “runs down the wing for me” to the tune of Buddy Holly’s Heartbeat.
In reality, Barcola offers far more than pace out wide. He cuts inside, contributes goals, combines willingly with teammates and works hard without possession. In short, he is a complete player—and a two-time European champion worth £123m for good reason.
The emphatic victory gave Barcola and fellow high-profile attacker Wirtz an opportunity to rebuild belief after a week of intense criticism. Iraola also managed the workload of his senior players, resting some tired stars while giving valuable minutes to others.
Virgil van Dijk began on the substitutes’ bench in unfamiliar circumstances. It was the first league or Champions League match—excluding a meaningless dead rubber—that he had not started since September 2023. He did, however, come on to captain Liverpool for the 200th time.
Jeremie Frimpong, severely lacking in confidence, scored one and assisted another two, while fellow full back Kostas Tsimikas, wearing the armband for an hour, managed two assists and proved his worth as a fine set-piece taker. Iraola will trust both more after this match.
And then there was the energetic, likeable local lad Lewis Koumas. The Wales international scored for the first time this season and, boy, did he deserve it after working his socks off and seeing two strikes chalked off for offside earlier on.
He had also made the assist for the first Barcola goal after canny work from 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha – one of two teenagers starting alongside Trey Nyoni. Barcola’s second showed his ingenuity to wriggle free from a defender, the third demonstrated his positional instinct.
LASK had a late rally with three late goals after Iraola had changed both centre backs, as substitute Florian Flecker scored two in three minutes.
Evidently, there are still a few minor teething problems for the new boss to iron out but this breathtaking attacking display will help.
