Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz came to life as Liverpool hammered LASK in the Champions League. This is what we spotted on a mainly positive outing for Andoni Iraola.
Bradley Barcola celebrates with Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha after scoring for Liverpool against LASK.
Bradley Barcola celebrates with Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha after scoring for Liverpool against LASK.(Image: Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Liverpool cruised to three Champions League points against LASK in Austria, though Andoni Iraola would have preferred not to concede three times in the second half.
Two goals in two first half minutes put Liverpool in the driving seat, with Ronald Araujo and then Bradley Barcola netting their first strikes in a Reds jersey. The latter then got his second and the Reds' third before the half-time break, with Florian Wirtz providing the assist with a nice pass.
Jeremie Frimpong made it 4-0 with a header shortly after half-time and the goals kept coming, with Barcola scoring his third, Lewis Koumas netting, and LASK grabbing three of its own from nowhere. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz prove a point
It would be fair to say that the pressure has been mounting on Wirtz, while Barcola hasn't exactly hit the ground running at Liverpool either. With big money moves come huge expectations.
"This kid is a major talent in my opinion," Steven Gerrard said on The Overlap earlier this week when discussing Wirtz. "I've seen enough to believe and give him a chance."
And frankly, if he and Barcola couldn't do it against LASK — a team playing its first-ever Champions League home game, and who have picked up one point from its last four games in all competitions — then what hope is there in other games coming up?
Fortunately, both Wirtz and Barcola came to the party. The former dictated things with some brilliantly clever passes, while the latter was on hand to finish, grabbing his first-ever senior hat-trick.
This should be a confidence-booster, but it is only the start. Brentford, Liverpool's next opponent, will offer considerably more resistance than LASK did here. Hopefully, though, the key attackers can build on what they started.
Bradley Barcola in Champions League action for Liverpool vs LASK.
Bradley Barcola in Champions League action for Liverpool vs LASK.(Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola moves pay off
Given that he was hooked off at half-time last time he started, it was a curious decision for Kostas Tsimikas to be named captain. In a rotated side, though, he was the longest-serving outfield player and took the armband.
Tsimikas and Jeremie Frimpong came into the defense — with Virgil van Dijk among those to be rested — but there were plenty of changes across the team.
Van Dijk, in fact, was not starting a game that mattered for the first time in more than three years, when he was suspended against Wolves in September 2023.
Even with so many big-hitters missing, however, it was comfortable for Liverpool, who cruised through to victory. No one looked out of place, and nor should they have.
Tsimikas and Frimpong got four assists between them, while Trey Nyoni was solid too. Luke Chambers even made it off the bench on a night when plenty of legs were saved.
Trey Nyoni slots in seamlessly
When Curtis Jones left Liverpool during the summer, there was a reason that the Reds didn't dip into the transfer market for a replacement: Nyoni.
At 19, he was thrust into a Champions League away game but the ex-Leicester man kept things ticking. Especially at the start of the game, as the tone of the contest was set, he was instrumental.
Nyoni has such elegance and poise that he could easily pass for being Spanish. Like Rio Ngumoha, another youngster to stand out here, he isn't going to play every week, but is more than capable of coming in when required.
If the injured Dominik Szoboszlai doesn't make it back in time to start at the Gtech Community Stadium in three days, then it should be Nyoni who lines up alongside Alexis Mac Allister. You would back him to impress again.
Lewis Koumas stars again
Nyoni and Ngumoha did well, and there was much to like from Wirtz, Barcola and others too. But Lewis Koumas should not be overlooked.
Had he not been marginally offside in the first half, he would have scored a brilliantly taken goal when he used his clever movement, exceptional touch, and calm finishing ability to put the ball in the back of the net.
Second half, he had a similar goal chalked off and then did finally bag one that counted, with his perseverance rewarded.
Starting a third game of the week on Saturday would be a big physical ask of Koumas, but if Alexander Isak doesn't make it, then the Welshman put forward another strong case.
On another day, with slightly more fortune, he could have produced a complete performance to match Barcola. He runs a lot, but his game is about much more than that.
Champions League picture becoming clear
Having already beaten Atletico Madrid — alongside Inter Milan, the most difficult opponent that Liverpool will face in the group phase — Liverpool is in a very good position even just two games in.
Villarreal, of course, comes to Anfield next week. After that are matches with Fenerbahce, Club Brugge, Porto, Inter and Lens in a fixture schedule that looks more Europa League than Champions League, in truth.
Crucially, if Liverpool can secure progression early, that will mean more starting XI rotation, as was present here, will be possible. Given the relentless schedule and the limited roster Liverpool has, that could be crucial.
Iraola made some bold calls here, and it worked a treat. In the future, he should be able to do the same as a result.