Second-half goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool bounce back 3-1 at LASK to kick-start their Europa League campaign
Second-half goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool bounce back 3-1 at LASK to kick-start their Europa League campaign.
On match day one of Group E, the Reds fell behind at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz when Florian Flecker fired home from 20 yards after just quarter of an hour.
But Jurgen Klopp’s side steadily gained control, with quick goals from Nunez – from the penalty spot – and Diaz followed by Salah’s late goal to secure the three points.
The win also marked a piece of club history for Klopp, who became the first Liverpool manager to reach 50 wins in European competition.
Virgil van Dijk returned to captain the Reds in Austria, which also included Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Ryan Gravenberch and Caoimhin Kelleher.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bajcetic (Gomez, 60), Konate (Matip, 81), Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Endo (Mac Allister, 60), Gravenberch (Salah, 74), Elliott, Doak (Szoboszlai, 60). ), DÃaz, Núñez.
Unused substitutes: Alisson, Jaros, Jones, Gakpo, Jota, Robertson, Quansah.
The first half
The sides started Group E with a frenetic atmosphere at the Raiffeisen Arena, which Liverpool tried to quell when they gained possession early on.
But LASK posed their first threat in the 13th minute when a cross from the left led to a rebound by Robert Zulji, whose effort curled behind Van Dijk. In a corner kick routine, the ball drifted long and deep into the right edge of the red box for Flecker to receive. The winger sent a shot to the reach of Kelleher and the opposite post, the score 1-0.
Right at the other end, Doak raced past his marker and swept in a low cross that went wide before Nunez finished off Harvey Elliott’s diving effort in the area.
Next, Van Dijk had to intervene with a decisive block when Marin Ljubicic burst into the Liverpool box and the visitors were injured by Ibrahima Konate’s foul.
The Reds’ best chance so far came in the 36th minute, Kostas Tsimikas’ corner kick from the right was blocked by Van Dijk, with Nunez’s close-range shot met by Tobias Lawal.
A string of yellow cards punctuated the bittersweet moments of the game before the break as LASK continued to score well.
Second half
Now attacking the end where the traveling fans were on the left, the Reds dictated the ball as they looked for an opening. They tied it on 10 minutes when Bajcetic exchanged passes with Elliott to get into the box and center the ball. The chase ended with Philipp Ziereis fouling Diaz as he looked to shoot.
The referee pointed to the spot and the VAR review approved, allowing Nunez to step up and slot the penalty into the left corner of the LASK net.
Kelleher leveled Elias Havel’s strike from 20 yards before Klopp made a triple change with the introductions of Joe Gomez, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
And Liverpool soon had a turn.
Gravenberch took advantage of the space on the right side and delivered an accurate low cross that Diaz dived into the center with Lawal’s first pass.
The Reds pressed for a third and LASK needed Felix Luckeneder to drop back to block a drive from Salah, who was brought on to replace Gravenberch after a knock-on.
But Salah slotted home from close range two minutes from time to seal a winning start to the Europa League and a fifth in a row in all competitions.
