Liverpool found the attacking release they badly needed in Austria, beating LASK 6-3 on a wild Champions League night which delivered goals and much-needed confidence.
Andoni Iraola made several changes after Sunday’s painful 3-0 home defeat by Man City, but his reshaped side quickly took charge in Linz.
Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha all started, while Kostas Tsimikas wore the armband as some senior names were given a breather.
Ronald Araujo broke the deadlock after 22 minutes, rising above the home defence to power in Tsimikas’ corner, and Liverpool needed only another two minutes to double their lead.
Ngumoha danced into the penalty area from the right and caused serious panic, Koumas kept the attack alive and man of the match Bradley Barcola supplied the finish.
|
Match stat |
LASK |
Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
|
Score |
3 |
6 |
|
Possession |
36% |
64% |
|
Expected goals (xG) |
2.04 |
3.35 |
|
Total shots |
12 |
26 |
|
Shots on target |
4 |
9 |
|
Shots off target |
8 |
17 |
|
Corners |
3 |
11 |
|
Touches inside opposition box |
23 |
51 |
|
Passes completed |
258 |
526 |
|
Total passes |
316 |
578 |
|
Pass accuracy |
82% |
91% |
|
Chances created |
11 |
20 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
5 |
|
Offsides |
3 |
6 |
|
Fouls |
7 |
4 |
|
Yellow cards |
1 |
0 |
|
Red cards |
0 |
0 |
|
Hit woodwork |
0 |
1 |
Barcola struck again before the break after Florian Wirtz split LASK open with a perfectly weighted pass.
Ryan Gravenberch also hit the post during a one-sided opening period, while Koumas had the first of two goals ruled out. LASK struggled to follow Liverpool’s movement whenever Wirtz, Barcola and Ngumoha exchanged positions around the box.
Jeremie Frimpong headed home shortly after half-time to make it 4-0, seemingly ending any faint hope of a comeback.
It was a night Liverpool’s young players refused to hide, but the second half became far less controlled.
Robert Ljubicic pulled one back, only for Barcola to complete his hat-trick and Koumas to finally get his goal. Florian Flecker then scored twice in four minutes as Liverpool’s defending became increasingly loose, leaving Iraola with plenty to address despite the emphatic result.
However, the main story away from Barcola’s three goals was Ngumoha.
Lucy Ward hails Rio Ngumoha as Liverpool youngster terrifies LASK in nine-goal thriller
The winger played with freedom on the right, repeatedly committing defenders and refusing to take the safe option when space opened ahead of him.
Lucy Ward was especially impressed by the youngster’s movement in the build-up to Barcola’s first goal.
“Brilliant finish from Barcola but what movement from Rio Ngumoha,” Ward told TNT Sports.
“They are absolutely frightened to death of him down that Liverpool right-hand side. He dances around; he doesn’t care how many defenders are in front of him.
“I’ll tell you what, this kid is such a livewire, such a handful. Fronts up his defender, takes little touches, gets himself in the area, and then there’s a problem.”
Ward’s verdict captured what made Ngumoha so effective.
The Anfield sensation didn’t simply wait for the ball in wide areas, he attacked his opponent, shifted the picture with sharp touches and forced other LASK players to vacate space to try and close him down.
Ngumoha later threaded a clever pass into Frimpong’s run, allowing the full-back to cross for Barcola to complete his treble.
There will be tougher nights than this and Liverpool cannot ignore the way they conceded three times after building such a commanding advantage, but Ngumoha gave Iraola exactly what he would have wanted from such a young player handed a Champions League start.
Liverpool travelled to Austria requiring a response and got one in spectacular fashion, and whie Barcola will take home the match ball, Ngumoha left with his reputation enhanced yet again.
