Goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah help Jurgen Klopp’s side kick off their Europa League campaign with victory over Austrian rivals.
Liverpool picked up their fourth win in their last five games as they opened the Europa League with a win against LASK.
Jurgen Klopp made 11 changes to his starting line-up and must have been concerned when his side went 1-0 down at half-time after Florian Flecker crashed into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Darwin Nunez saw LASK goalkeeper Tobias Lawal save the point from an empty net, and a moment of luck was used for the success.
Luis Diaz fell in the box and Nunez buried the resulting penalty in the corner to make it 1-1 in favor of Liverpool. They took the lead seven minutes later when Ryan Gravenberch pounced low to set up Diaz on the stroke of half-time. Klopp brought on the big guns from the bench and Liverpool comfortably held the Austrians to three points, but despite Mohamed Salah’s classic late strike, it was no vintage affair and Gravenberch’s limp doesn’t help.
Here are the Mirror Football talking points.
Start slowly
Liverpool are struggling to overcome a slow start. LASK did his homework and used two blockers to give Flecker space on the edge of the box. He put it to good use, curling a brilliant effort past Caoimhin Kelleher. But Klopp is aware of the wider problem: it was the fourth time Liverpool had conceded first in their last five games. LASK took the lead against the Reds with Bournemouth (three minutes), Newcastle (25 minutes) and Wolves (seven minutes).
And although they came back to win all three games, Liverpool are giving themselves momentum. This is not a sustainable approach. This is something Klopp will have to deal with as it starts to look a lot more than a fluke. Doak full of confidence
At 17, Doak became the fourth youngest player to start a European game for Liverpool on Thursday night. His youthful looks may have cost him his status, but you wouldn’t know his inexperience by looking at him.
Doak’s Liverpool fans are excited and it’s easy to see why. The young Scot is a bundle of energy on the right wing and he was brilliant from the start in Austria.
Not at all afraid of losing the ball, he constantly charged his man, running towards him. He has quick feet and good pace, which shows why he trusts Klopp. As Mohamed Salah’s understudy, he will have to remain patient, but he clearly offers something else. He was taken off in the 60th minute because he made a good impression.
Gravenberch is thrilled
Gravenberch joined Liverpool after being frustrated with his lack of playing time at Bayern Munich. Liverpool paid £34 million for his pledge, but he had to wait for his first start. It was immediately clear how much he wanted to impress his new manager. There was a point in the first half where he was seen hitting the turf in frustration after conceding the ball a few times in a row.
With rookie Wataru Endo anchored in midfield, Gravenberch was given a more relaxed No8 role, which he seemed to relish. The 21-year-old has a good motor and an eye for a pass. He played three key passes before picking up his first pass for Liverpool and rushing forward to set up Diaz’s goal.
His enthusiasm showed a little later when he rushed forward and killed three-on-three opportunities with a sloppy pass. He was replaced moments later when he collapsed. He carefully limped off the field and Liverpool are hoping it’s nothing serious.
Group depth in presentation
Klopp made 11 changes to the team that beat Wolves 3-1 at the weekend and hinted at the need for rotation in his pre-match interview. “The reason we made the changes is because we want to give everything in this race,” he told TNT Sports.
Chances fell between Doak, Gravenberch and the fit Stefan Bajcetic and they failed to capitalize on their chances in the first half. Nunez’s header was Liverpool’s only goal and Klopp must have wondered just how strong his side were.
But when LASK tired and Alexis MacAllister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Joe Gomez and Salah came off the bench, Liverpool took control. With a Thursday-Sunday routine, they will need better performances from their wing players going forward.
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Salah emphasizes quality
In a game that was supposed to be about the rise of Liverpool’s wingers, three of their established forwards made the difference. Nunez scored from the spot, Diaz finished off a quick counter and Salah put the icing on the cake when he danced through the defense to score the third goal. Klopp doesn’t care, it was just win and win.
But it shows the gap between the first-choice forwards and their backs, although LASK’s tiring legs should also be taken into account. Liverpool will face West Ham again in the Premier League on Sunday.
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