On night of chaos for Liverpool, Barcola arrives in style

What the report says

Liverpool eased to a 6-3 away win over LASK in Linz in the Champions League, with Bradley Barcola providing the main talking point. The French forward, whose recent form had been questioned before kickoff, scored a hat-trick in his first treble for the club and helped Liverpool move back to winning ways after their weekend defeat by Manchester City. Manager Andoni Iraola said he was pleased with Barcola’s performance and suggested the player had looked lively in training before the match.

The BBC Sport report said Liverpool raced into a commanding first-half lead and produced one of their most dominant opening spells in recent European away games. Barcola’s goals came through two finished chances and a close-range effort after the break. Florian Wirtz also impressed with an assist, while Jeremie Frimpong, Kostas Tsimikas, Ronald Araujo and Lewis Koumas all contributed in a high-scoring contest.

There was a warning, though, that the result should be viewed in context because LASK entered the match in poor form and Liverpool eased off after the break, allowing three goals. The article said the bigger measure of Liverpool’s progress may come at Brentford on Saturday, where Barcola will face a sterner test away from home. More broadly, the performance mattered because it gave both player and team a confidence boost after a difficult spell.