Liverpool bounced back from their Premier League loss to Manchester City with a 6-3 win over LASK in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Bradley Barcola scored his first goals for the club with a hat-trick.
Aston Villa also had a great night in Europe, beating Turkish side Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park. This victory marked their second straight win in the competition.
Barcola scored three times in Liverpool's nine-goal match in Austria. Ronald Araújo, Jeremie Frimpong, and Lewis Koumas also scored for the English side, according to Reuters and Sky Sports.
The win kept Liverpool’s perfect start to their Champions League campaign after they won 2-1 against Atlético Madrid. Villa followed up their 3-2 away win over Club Brugge with another three points.
Barcola Ends Goal Drought
Liverpool started strong at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, Austria. They took charge of the match with three first-half goals and added three more after the break.
Araújo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, heading in a corner from Kostas Tsimikas for his first goal for Liverpool, according to Reuters. Barcola made it 2-0 just two minutes later after a move with Lewis Koumas.
The French forward scored again in the 37th minute, converting a pass from Florian Wirtz to give Liverpool a 3-0 lead at half-time. Sky Sports noted that Liverpool had 19 attempts in the first half, a record for an away team in the Champions League since 2003-04.
Liverpool kept their attacking game going after the break. Frimpong scored in the 51st minute, heading in Tsimikas' cross to make it 4-0. LASK got on the scoreboard in the 63rd minute when Robert Ljubičić managed to beat the Liverpool goalkeeper.
Barcola completed his hat-trick three minutes later, finishing from close range after Frimpong crossed the ball into the box. This was Barcola's first goal for Liverpool since joining from Paris Saint-Germain this summer. He had not scored or assisted in his previous six matches, according to Sky Sports.
Koumas added Liverpool's sixth goal in the 72nd minute, converting another cross from Frimpong after two earlier goals were ruled out for offside. LASK took advantage of some mistakes in defense to score two quick goals by Florian Flecker in the 74th and 77th minutes.
The result showed that Liverpool responded well after their 3-0 loss to Manchester City. But conceding three goals in Austria highlighted their defensive issues. The win gave Liverpool back-to-back victories in the Champions League, while LASK was still looking for their first point after losing to AEK Athens.
Villa Demolish Fenerbahçe 6-0
Aston Villa secured an impressive 6-0 win over Fenerbahçe, with Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley each scoring two goals at Villa Park. Johan Manzambi got the first goal in the 12th minute, giving Unai Emery’s team an early lead in their first home Champions League match of the season.
Jackson scored twice in the 31st and 39th minutes, putting Villa 3-0 ahead at half-time. Villa continued to dominate after the break. Barkley scored from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after Manzambi was fouled in the box.
The midfielder added his second goal just four minutes later to make it 5-0. Substitute Tammy Abraham finished the scoring in the 90th minute. This win came after Villa's 3-2 victory away to Club Brugge in their first league-phase match.
Villa had also beaten Fenerbahçe 1-0 in Istanbul last season during the Europa League, thanks to a goal from Jadon Sancho. Wednesday’s result gave the English club another win over the Turkish side and continued their strong start in this season’s Champions League.
Both English clubs ended the night with victories. But Liverpool's win was more open, with LASK scoring three goals in the second half, while Villa kept a clean sheet in their six-goal win.
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