Barcola scores hat-trick as Liverpool hit LASK for six

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Liverpool beat LASK 6-3 in the Champions League on Wednesday at the Raiffeisen Arena in Austria, with forward Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick to end his early-season goal drought. The France international, who joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in August in a reported £123 million move, netted his first goals for the club in his seventh appearance. The article says the performance came after recent criticism of Barcola’s form and amid pressure on Liverpool’s attack because of injuries to Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Liverpool took control early through Ronald Araujo’s header and two quick Barcola finishes before the break. Jeremie Frimpong added a fourth after halftime, Barcola completed his treble, and Lewis Koumas then scored his first Champions League goal. LASK responded through Robert Ljubicic and two late goals from Florian Flecker, exposing Liverpool’s defensive lapses even in a comfortable win.

The result kept Liverpool perfect in the competition after an opening victory over Atletico Madrid. Al Jazeera says manager Andoni Iraola rotated his lineup because of a busy run of fixtures, and the display offered evidence of Liverpool’s attacking potential despite continuing concerns at the back. More broadly, the match highlighted the pressure on expensive signings to deliver quickly in a demanding European campaign.