Bradley Barcola got off the mark for Liverpool in style with a Champions League hat-trick in a 6-3 win against LASK in Austria.

The France international winger did not score in his first five appearances for the Reds after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in deal that could rise to £123m.

But the 24-year-old bagged his first senior hat-trick of his career as Liverpool ran riot against the Austrian champions.

Defender Ronald Araujo also scored his first Liverpool goal with the first of the night, while Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas were also on target for Andoni Iraola ’s side.

Welsh forward Koumas, who started in place of the injured Alexander Isak, scored his first Liverpool goal in two-and-a-half years after the 21-year-old had two goals ruled out earlier.

While Liverpool’s forward line threatened all night, there was sloppiness at the back in the closing stages and Iraola will be disappointed to have conceded three for the second game in a row.

But a second consecutive win in the Champions League, following the opening victory over Atletico Madrid, got Iraola’s side back on track following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.

Ironically, the standout winger on the night was arguably Rio Ngumoha, with the 18-year-old tormenting LASK throughout with his direct dribbling and trickery out wide.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "How Bradley Barcola scored his Liverpool hat-trick, but were defensive lapses a concern?" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Champions League metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

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