Bradley Barcola scored his first Liverpool hat-trick in a chaotic 6-3 Champions League win over LASK, ending the French forward's quiet spell since his £123m move from Paris Saint-Germain in August.
Barcola had faced criticism for unconvincing displays in his new colors, but on his seventh appearance he went some way to repaying his huge price tag with his first goals. Before the break he scored twice after Ronald Araujo opened the scoring for Liverpool with a header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner in the 22nd minute – the defender's first goal for the club. Just 96 seconds later, Barcola doubled the lead with a tidy finish from a Rio Ngumoha assist. In the 37th minute he completed his brace after a neat exchange with Florian Wirtz.
After the interval, Jeremie Frimpong scored the fourth in the 51st minute with a header from a Tsimikas cross, before Robert Ljubicic pulled one back for LASK in the 63rd. Three minutes later, Barcola completed his hat-trick with a sharp finish from a Frimpong pass. Lewis Koumas sealed the 6-3 win in the 72nd minute, but Liverpool lost control late on as Florian Flecker scored twice in quick succession in the 74th and 77th minutes.
The win keeps Liverpool's perfect record in this season's Champions League intact after their opening victory over Atletico Madrid. It is a significant morale boost for manager Andoni Iraola following Sunday's 0-3 Premier League defeat to Manchester City – his first loss as Liverpool boss after eight unbeaten games.
Ahead of the match, Iraola said he had full faith in Barcola and Wirtz, who have both struggled since arriving. Injuries to Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai increased the pressure on the pair to carry the attack. They repaid that trust with a convincing performance, though the Spanish coach still voiced concern about his side's defending.
The trip to Linz was the second in a run of six games in 18 days for Liverpool, forcing Iraola to rotate to avoid burnout. Captain Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz were all rested, making way for Frimpong, Tsimikas, Trey Nyoni and Ngumoha. Even so, Liverpool still exposed frailties at the back by conceding three second-half goals.
