Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Champions League with a 6-3 victory away to LASK, a night in Austria that brought a first goal for Ronald Araujo and a much-needed hat-trick for Bradley Barcola.
| Champions League match | Result | Key outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1: Liverpool v Atlético | 2-1 | Liverpool opened with a win |
| Matchday 2: LASK v Liverpool | 3-6 | Liverpool reached six points; LASK suffered a second defeat |
Andoni Iraola rotated his side, leaving Virgil van Dijk among the substitutes and deploying Barcelona loanee Araujo at centre-back rather than at full-back. The Uruguay international partnered young defender Jérémy Jacquet in the middle of the Liverpool defence.
Araujo opens his Liverpool account
Araujo provided the breakthrough in the 22nd minute, arriving in the area to head home a Kostas Tsimikas corner. It was his first goal since joining Liverpool on loan and echoed the aerial threat Van Dijk has so often supplied for the club.
Barcola then took over. The former Paris Saint-Germain winger had yet to score for Liverpool and had faced criticism, as had Florian Wirtz, but he ended the night with three goals. His first came two minutes after Araujo’s opener, finishing after Lewis Koumas had created the opening.
He struck again in the 37th minute following an impressive Wirtz move, before completing his treble in the 66th minute from a Jeremie Frimpong assist.
Frimpong and Koumas add to the away haul
Frimpong was another major influence, scoring Liverpool’s fourth goal after Tsimikas delivered from wide and later setting up Koumas. Koumas, who had made his first Liverpool start against Manchester City, added his own name to the scoresheet in Linz.
LASK refused to fold despite Liverpool’s attacking surge. Ljubicic scored in the 63rd minute after work from Dibango, who also supplied both goals in Flekker’s late double. Flekker found the net in the 74th and 78th minutes, but Liverpool’s six-goal display had already settled the European contest.
The result leaves Liverpool with a perfect return after two Champions League rounds, while LASK remain without a point after consecutive defeats.
