Andoni Iraola delivers 'threat' claim on Bradley Barcola following recent criticism in 6-3 LASK win

When the final whistle blew in Austria, Bradley Barcola went straight over to the referee, grabbed the match ball, and tucked it under his arm.

Walking over to the travelling Kopites high in the stands, he couldn't hide the massive smile on his face. And to be honest, every Liverpool fan watching at home was probably smiling right along with him.

It’s been a tough few weeks if you follow the Reds. After that painful 3-0 loss at Manchester City on Sunday, everyone was lining up to criticise Iraola’s as well as former head coach Arne Slot summer transfer business. Barcola had gone five games without a goal, Florian Wirtz looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the online debate was getting loud.

A 6-3 win over LASK on a freezing cold Wednesday night in Linz doesn't mean all our problems are solved. We still look way too open at the back, and Saturday's trip to Brentford is going to be a proper scrap.

But watching that attack fly forward, you couldn't help but feel a huge weight lift off the club. The new era finally felt like it kicked into gear.

Iraola delighted as summer signings silence critics

If any fans were starting to lose patience with the new lads, Andoni Iraola made it crystal clear after the match that he never doubted them for a second.

Speaking to reporters after watching his team take an incredible 26 shots, the boss backed his big-money signings:

"I’m really happy for Bradley," Iraola said post-match. 

"You were asking me yesterday about him not making the numbers, and also Florian [Wirtz]. Both of them played really really well. They made the difference. Bradley, apart from the hat-trick, I think he was always a threat, one versus one, threatening in behind. I’m happy for both of them."

"I think for their confidence for sure, it’s very good. I think they feel that we can trust them a lot. But at the end, enjoy a little bit playing in the Champions League away. It’s going to be very good for them."

Wirtz set up Barcola's second goal with a beautiful pass through the defense, looking much more like the player we were all so excited to sign.

Iraola made four changes to his lineup, naming Kostas Tsimikas as captain and giving starts to young talents Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha. It was Liverpool's third-youngest starting team in Champions League history averaging just 24 years old.

The Reds asserted their dominance early as Ronald Araújo opened the scoring with his first goal in a Liverpool shirt, powering home a pin-point corner from Tsimikas.

Just two minutes later, 18-year-old Ngumoha embarked on a brilliant run into the penalty box. Although his penalty appeal was ignored by the referee,

Lewis Koumas reacted fastest to tee up Barcola for a crisp finish. Wirtz then combined with Barcola once more, sending the Frenchman through to make it 3-0 before the half-time whistle even blew.

Liverpool picked up right where they left off after the restart when Jeremie Frimpong met another delightful Tsimikas cross to head home a fourth.

LASK managed to pull one back through Robert Ljubicic, but Barcola immediately killed off any hopes of a comeback by tapping in a low Frimpong delivery to secure his hat-trick.

Koumas finally got his name on the scoresheet after having two earlier efforts disallowed for offside, converting another Frimpong cross to make it six. In doing so, Koumas became only the second player aged 21 or under to both score and assist in a Champions League match for Liverpool, placing his name alongside Steven Gerrard.

A late defensive lapse allowed LASK's Florian Flecker to score a quickfire double against a newly introduced backline featuring Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, but the result was already beyond doubt.

Watching Barcola sprint past defenders with effortless style and seeing Wirtz play with a genuine smile on his face was a joy to behold. Heading down to London to face Brentford on Saturday, Liverpool hold a perfect six points from six in Europe and possess an attack that finally looks ready to tear defences apart.

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