Bradley Barcola scored his first Liverpool goals in spectacular fashion as Andoni Iraola’s side defeated LASK 6-3 in Austria, delivering an emphatic attacking performance that nevertheless exposed some familiar defensive weaknesses.
The £123million summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain completed his hat-trick in the second half, while Ronald Araujo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also scored as Liverpool secured their second Champions League victory of the campaign.
For Iraola, the result represented a welcome response to Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League defeat against Manchester City. Liverpool’s attacking players found space, created opportunities and demonstrated the kind of fluidity that has been conspicuously absent during their inconsistent start to the season.
However, conceding three goals against opponents making their debut in Europe’s elite competition raised legitimate questions about Liverpool’s defensive structure, particularly when protecting a commanding lead.
Bradley Barcola Delivers His First Major Liverpool Performance
Few Liverpool players entered this Champions League fixture with more to prove than Barcola.
The French international arrived from PSG for £123million during the summer, carrying considerable expectations after helping the Parisian club achieve consecutive Champions League triumphs.
His first six Liverpool appearances had produced encouraging moments without the goals supporters might reasonably expect from such an expensive acquisition.
Against LASK, that changed emphatically.
Araujo opened the scoring after 22 minutes, powering home a header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner. Within two minutes, Barcola doubled Liverpool’s advantage following excellent work from Rio Ngumoha and Koumas.
The finish was controlled and confident, precisely the sort of intervention Liverpool had been waiting to see.
His second goal demonstrated the developing understanding between Liverpool’s two most expensive attacking…
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