September 21, (THEWILL) – Liverpool had to come from behind to beat Austrian side, LASK 3-1 away from home in the opening game of their UEFA Europa League group stage campaign on Thursday night.
The English Premier League giants went into the game as strong favourites but were stunned when Florian Flecker fired the hosts into a shock lead after 14 minutes. Liverpool struggled to find their rhythm in the first half and went into the break trailing 1-0.
The second half was a different story as Liverpool upped the intensity. Darwin Nunez equalised from the penalty spot on 56 minutes after Luis Diaz was fouled in the box. Diaz then put Liverpool ahead just seven minutes later, latching onto a cross from Ryan Gravenberch to score from close range.
Mohamed Salah, introduced as a second-half substitute, sealed the 3-1 win late on to spare Liverpool’s blushes on a night when their fringe players were given a run-out. Manager Jurgen Klopp will be relieved to pick up three points but will know his side must improve if they are to progress in the competition.
The result means Liverpool top Europa League Group E after the first round of matches. They will look to build momentum when they host Portuguese side FC Porto at Anfield in their next European fixture. Before then, West Ham awaits on Sunday while LASK host Hartberg.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
