Barcola scores hat-trick as Liverpool thrash LASK — SkimNews
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- Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick (24th, 37th, 66th minutes) for his first Liverpool goals after six appearances without scoring or assisting since his £123m move from PSG.
- Ronald Araujo headed in his first Liverpool goal (22nd minute) from a corner, while Florian Wirtz assisted Barcola's second and delivered a confidence-boosting display after recent calls for him to be dropped.
- Liverpool set a new record with 19 first-half shots — the most by an away team in a Champions League first half — with Jeremie Frimpong (51st) and Lewis Koumas (72nd) also on target; Koumas had two earlier finishes ruled out for offside.
- Manager Andoni Iraola benched Virgil van Dijk for only the third time in Liverpool's 39 Champions League games since 2022, but when van Dijk and Joe Gomez came on as center-backs in the 62nd minute, Liverpool conceded all three LASK goals.
- LASK scored through Robert Ljubicic (63rd) and Florian Flecker twice in two minutes (74th, 77th), with Sky Sports' David Richardson noting defensive balance remains a work in progress despite the emphatic scoreline.
- Trey Nyoni, 19, impressed in midfield alongside Ryan Gravenberch, while Koumas led the line in Alexander Isak's absence.
Why it matters: Liverpool's second consecutive Champions League win keeps their European campaign on track, but the fact that all three conceded goals came after Iraola introduced his two most experienced center-backs signals that the defensive balance which contributed to Arne Slot's dismissal remains unresolved. Barcola's £123m signing finally delivered return value, yet Sky Sports' analysis frames the squad as 'very much a work in progress' as Iraola integrates new signings into a new style.
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