Liverpool took time adjusting to life back in the Europa League but for the fourth time in six matches this season they came from behind to win 3-1 against LASK in Linz.
It had been 2,682 days since they last appeared in UEFA’s second-tier competition, having played in three Champions League finals and won one, and that adaptation to a new reality took a while to bed in.
The Austrians had no such problem in the biggest game in their history as the visit of Manchester United in 2020, when they were hammed 5-0, happened behind closed doors because of the pandemic.
They were so fired up they predictably took an early lead through Florian Flecker’s brilliantly-taken goal but once Jurgen Klopp’s side came to the realisation the Europa League will be just as tough a task as the competition favourites this season’s familiar trait emerged.
Within the space of eight second-half minutes Darwin Nunez fired home a penalty and Luis Diaz converted from close range and late on substitute Mohamed Salah clinched Klopp’s 50th European victory, the most of any Anfield manager. Follow all the reaction from LASK vs Liverpool below and get all the latest football odds here.
LASK vs Liverpool
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Europa League 2023/24 full preview
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LIV XI: Kelleher, Bajcetic, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott, Doak, Nunez, Diaz
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LASK XI: Lawal, Ziereis, Renner, Ljubicic, Zulj, Andrade, Jovicic, Havel, Flecker, Horvath, Luckeneder
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GOAL! 13’ – Flecker smacks in unstoppable half-volley to give LASK the lead (1-0)
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GOAL! 55’ – Darwin Nunez scores penalty after Diaz is fouled in the box (1-1)
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GOAL! 63’ – Diaz hammers in after a flowing move down the right (1-2)
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GOAL! 87’ – Salah squeezes a late third in through the keeper’s legs (1-3)
Linzer Athletik Sport Klub 1 – 3 Liverpool FC
Liverpool produce another comeback win to beat LASK in Europa League
20:27 , Karl Matchett
For the second time in a few days, Liverpool were 1-0 down at half-time but 3-1 winners by the final whistle.
Nunez with a penalty, Diaz soon after and Salah near the end wrapped up the win.
Liverpool produce another comeback win to beat LASK in Europa League
LASK 1-3 Liverpool
20:10 , Karl Matchett
Liverpool took time adjusting to life back in the Europa League but for the fourth time in six matches this season they came from behind to win 3-1 against LASK in Linz.
It had been 2,682 days since they last appeared in UEFA’s second-tier competition, having played in three Champions League finals and won one, and that adaptation to a new reality took a while to bed in.
The Austrians had no such problem in the biggest game in their history as the visit of Manchester United in 2020, when they were hammed 5-0, happened behind closed doors because of the pandemic.
They were so fired up they predictably took an early lead through Florian Flecker’s brilliantly-taken goal but once Jurgen Klopp’s side came to the realisation the Europa League will be just as tough a task as the competition favourites this season’s familiar trait emerged.
Within the space of eight second-half minutes Darwin Nunez fired home a penalty and Luis Diaz converted from close range and late on substitute Mohamed Salah clinched Klopp’s 50th European victory, the most of any Anfield manager.
LASK 1-3 Liverpool
19:50 , Karl Matchett
Liverpool top the group as Union and Toulouse have drawn 1-1, so with three points the Premier League team are first.
A long way to go but you’d imagine that already means that with Anfield victories, Klopp’s team look fine for the knock-outs.
Europa Conference League results
19:44 , Karl Matchett
Here are the scores from the early matches in Uefa’s third competition:
Legia 3-2 Aston Villa
Zrinjski 4-3 AZ
Ferencvaros 3-1 Cukaricki
Genk 2-2 Fiorentina
Frankfurt 2-1 Aberdeen
HJK 1-3 PAOK
Fenerbahce 3-1 Nordsjaelland
Ludogorets 4-0 Spartak
Europa League results
19:42 , Karl Matchett
LASK 1-3 Liverpool
Union 1-1 Toulouse
Servette 0-2 Slavia
Sheriff 1-2 Roma
Leverkusen 4-0 Hacken
Qarabag 1-0 Molde
We’ll have live coverage of Rangers vs Betis coming up here if you want to join that game!
FT – LASK 1-3 Liverpool
19:39 , Karl Matchett
That’s the match and that’s the points.
Flecker’s first-half goal had LASK ahead, but just as at the weekend, Liverpool came from a goal down at the break to score three after the restart and win 3-1.
Darwin’s penalty, Diaz from close range and Salah late on complete the turnaround and Liverpool head home victorious.
90′ – LASK 1-3 Liverpool
19:37 , Karl Matchett
Into five minutes of stoppage time and the Reds are going to be top of the group after the first round of fixtures by the looks of things.
In the other match, Union are drawing 1-1 with Toulouse.
GOAL! 87’ – LASK 1-3 Liverpool
19:31 , Karl Matchett
And that’s the win sewn up! Great work from Nunez to win back the ball and push past his man, play it into Salah in the box and the Egyptian beats his man and pokes the ball through the ‘keepe’s legs from a narrow angle.
Great strength and composure and that’s 3-1 to Liverpool.
86’ – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:31 , Karl Matchett
Repair work to the corner flag as the actual flag takes a bit of a trip down the touchline. All back in order and on we go.
Nunez can’t flick on a long throw and Liverpool go all the way back to Kelleher, who despite being beaten early on, has had a decent enough game.
82’ – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:27 , Karl Matchett
Elliott goes for goal from 25 yards out but he never has the power or accuracy to really trouble matters.
Matip on for Konate, another who is working his way back to full fitness.
78’ – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:23 , Karl Matchett
A real muddle of a few minutes as Liverpool try to press their advantage, LASK try to counter a few times and everybody gives it away an awful lot.
Tsimikas, one of those who has come in tonight for the visitors and hasn’t really done enough to suggest they should do so more often, sends another poor delivery into the box and Gomez needs to sprint back to clear LASK’s counter.
Luckeneder replaced by Darboe for the last 10 minutes plus stoppage time.
74’ – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:18 , Karl Matchett
Gravenberch makes a burst through the middle and it’s three on three – he picks a pass to the left but it’s intercepted and as he tries to recover the ball he seems to go down with either an injury or perhaps fatigue, this being his first start of the season.
On comes Salah and he immedately creates two openings, seeing a shot blocked almost on the line. Liverpool looking to wrap this one up now.
70’ – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:14 , Karl Matchett
Zulj goes down, wants a free-kick, his team play on, he stays down saying he’s injured, Liverpool win the ball back and similarly continue to play – he’s irate, the fans are fuming and the ref inexplicably decides that’s the time to halt play. Dismal officiating. Predictably, he’s absolutely fine after, bizarrely, a quick check of his teeth by the physio. Gave them a wobble, all looks fine, on he comes again.
67’ – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:11 , Karl Matchett
Liverpool looking to control matters a lot more now and Szoboszlai is quickly running riot. He takes on two, surges through the middle and frees Diaz – his cross is cut out with Nunez waiting.
Suddenly it looks a difficult task for LASK after conceding twice in succession and it’s their turn for subs.
Mustapha and Kone on for Ljubicic and Havel.
63’ GOAL! – LASK 1-2 Liverpool
19:07 , Karl Matchett
Liverpool ahead! A first real moment of quality in truth, as Elliott frees Gravenberch down the right flank after Nunez’s hold-up play, the Dutchman whips in a low cross first time and Luis Diaz is sprinting in to hammer the ball first-time past the keeper and in.
A rapid attack, much more like the Reds we’re used to seeing, and the Premier League team are 2-1 up.
60′ – LASK 1-1 Liverpool
19:06 , Karl Matchett
Subs for the Reds as Klopp turns to his bench.
Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez all come on; Doak, Bajcetic and Endo are off.
It dopesn’t immediately help as the ball comes to Ljubicic and he spins to shoot from eight yards – great save by Kelleher with his feet!
56’ GOAL! – LASK 1-1 Liverpool
18:59 , Karl Matchett
Ziereis is booked for his late tackle, which came after Diaz had more or less got a shot away.
Darwin Nunez steps up to take it…and buries it! Brilliant spot-kick to level matters, right into the left corner and we’re square at 1-1.
54’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:58 , Karl Matchett
Doak and Nunez looking more purposeful but neither get a shot away. Elliott does but he’s blocked, then he tees up Diaz – and he’s fouled in the box!
Penalty to Liverpool!
50’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:55 , Karl Matchett
Gravenberch and Nunez combine, the latter showing good skill to beat two men – but then turns back into trouble instead of getting a shot away. Better, momentarily, for the Premier League side.
No real sustained pressure from them though and it’s still very scrappy in between the infrequent forays into the box.
46′ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:50 , Karl Matchett
We are back underway. No changes as yet but Klopp looks displeased and the likes of Jota, Salah and Szoboszlai are all warming up.
HT – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:42 , Karl Matchett
Spectacular goal, spectacular celebrations.
What a night for the LASK fans if they hold onto this lead – work for Liverpool to do second half.
HT – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:33 , Karl Matchett
There’s the whistle and a poor first 45 minutes for the visitors sees them trailing in Austria.
A brilliant strike from Flecken separates the sides, LASK ahead.
44’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:32 , Karl Matchett
Bajcetic gets his own back and likewise goes into the book. An awkward start to the campaign for the Spaniard.
Tsimikas leads a counter after the free-kick but with options both sides, again makes the wrong decision and is fortunate to get a free-kick. Zulj is booked this time – four in just a few minutes between the two teams.
One minute of stoppage time added on.
41’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:29 , Karl Matchett
Yellow for Havel for a foul on Bajcetic now. Five minutes until the break and Jurgen Klopp will no doubt have plenty to say at the interval.
They were poor at the weekend against Wolves in the first half, then came out and scored three after the restart. At this rate the same will be required again.
38’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:27 , Karl Matchett
Villa back on terms, 2-2 in their game at Legia.
Liverpool still struggling for fluency here, perhaps a combination of 11 changes and the fact that – at this stage anyway – there’s not much jeopardy in getting out of the group.
Konate is booked for arguing with the referee, another sign of the Reds not being anywhere near on it tonight.
34’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:23 , Karl Matchett
Calm defending by Van Dijk to chase a through ball and beat his man before clearing. But Liverpool don’t really seem to have much in the way of structured build-up so far, certainly not through the second and final thirds.
Doak wins a corner after a dribble down the right; can the delivery prove better this time?
It certainly is – but it’s a great save! Nunez denied from two yards out with his header looking for all the world as though it’s heading in.
30’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:18 , Karl Matchett
Konate is bullied off the ball by Ljubicic and he drives into the box – Van Dijk is quickly across to make a block on the shot.
Klopp wanted a free-kick and has a word with the fourth official on the touchline, but his team are looking very ragged at the moment.
Now they do work a good counter-attacking chance and Nunez combines with Tsimikas, but the cross is missed by Gravenberch and cleared.
26’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:14 , Karl Matchett
Nunez spins and tries a volley at goal – he’s blocked at close quarters by the defence.
Not seen too much of Endo for the Reds in midfield yet – he perhaps needs to start controlling the play from deep and getting Gravenberch and co on the front foot.
Endo lines up a shot now after running forwards himself – it’s also blocked.
22’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:13 , Karl Matchett
Tsimikas runs forward but opts to shoot instead of teeing up Diaz, who is free to his left. It’s well off-target and the Colombian isn’t amused.
Not a huge response so far to be truthful – more needed from the front three at present.
Villa are now trailing 2-1; in teh same competition Aberdeen are back on level terms at Eintracht Frankfurt.
17’ – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:07 , Karl Matchett
Decent delivery from Doak on the right but nobody is running onto it. A few minutes later Elliott’s cross from the left is met by Darwin Nunez, but he’s up too early and nods well off-target, off-balance.
Diaz then dribbles into the box and is clipped just outside it, but the foul goes against him for handball somehow.
13’ GOAL! – LASK 1-0 Liverpool
18:02 , Karl Matchett
What a goal! Flecker has absolutely burst the net with a magnificent strike!
The corner comes in from the left, right to the edge of the box, Flecker takes a touch and absolutely leathers it on the half-volley right past Graveneberch who is running out towards him and flying past Kelleher’s dive into the far corner.
Magical hit and LASK lead 1-0.
12’ – LASK 0-0 Liverpool
18:00 , Karl Matchett
A couple of corners in succession for the visitors after some good work by Doak, but nothing comes of them and LASK counter.
Zulj spins in the box after a cross from the left and shoots – Van Dijk makes a block and diverts the ball over for a corner to the hosts this time.
8’ – LASK 0-0 Liverpool
17:55 , Karl Matchett
Doak and Nunez combine down the right but Elliott loses the ball and the Reds lose momentum.
Bajcetic roves out wide for the first time, having started by moving from right-back into central areas – the Trent role.
Early goal in the other game featuring a Premier League team at this time: Aston Villa trail to Legia Warsaw…and then Jhon Duran immediately equalises. 1-1 there in Poland.
4’ – LASK 0-0 Liverpool
17:52 , Karl Matchett
Nunez runs onto a long ball and tries a first-time shot, but it’s on an awkward angle and he smashes into the stand.
Liverpool just starting to get a hold of the ball after a very early flurry from the hosts saw them win a corner and send a couple of crosses over. Nothing to worry about for Kelleher, really.
Good noise inside the ground – a 19,000 capacity stadium which only opened recently.
1’ – LASK 0-0 Liverpool
17:48 , Karl Matchett
We are underway! Flecker immediately barrels into Gravenberch and leaves him on the deck. A few seconds in and that’s Klopp complaining and the referee having a word with the LASK wing-back.
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
17:46 , Karl Matchett
Ahead of kick-off we have a moment of silence for the victims of the earthquake in Morocco and the flooding in Libya.
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
17:42 , Karl Matchett
The players are ready to come out and we’re just a few minutes away from kick-off in Austria.
Liverpool playing in their new purple third-choice kit tonight and it’s first starts of the season for the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher, Stefan Bajcetic, Kostas Tsimikas and more. Perhaps some lack of cohesion will be on show, despite the superior talent.
LASK boss Thomas Sageder says his team are ‘motivated’ for clash
17:26 , George Litchfield
LASK manager Thomas Sageder said his team are ‘motivated’ for tonight’s game and know what to expect from Liverpool.
The Austrian side are in good form domestically, having only lost one out of their last eight games.
Midfielder Sascha Horvath has impressed so far this season, and starts in the middle alongside Branko Jovicic.
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
17:26 , Karl Matchett
Confirmed lineup for LASK vs Liverpool:
LASK XI: Lawal, Ziereis, Renner, Ljubicic, Zulj, Andrade, Jovicic, Havel, Flecker, Horvath, Luckeneder.
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
17:21 , George Litchfield
The 17-year old winger Ben Doak also makes his first start for Jurgen Klopp’s side tonight.
The Reds signed Doak from Celtic last March, having to pay training compensation of around £600,000.
He becomes the fourth youngest player to appear for Liverpool in Europe.
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
17:15 , George Litchfield
Ryan Gravenberch is one to watch tonight for the visitors.
The 21 year-old joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer for £34m as part of Liverpool’s midfield rebuild.
Manager Jurgen Klopp believes the youngster has ‘massive potential’, and the midfielder will be looking to impress tonight in his second game for The Reds.
Who is Ryan Gravenberch? The Liverpool midfielder with ‘massive potential’
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
17:09 , Karl Matchett
Jurgen Klopp assured fans this week it would be a strong lineup for Liverpool – and that is certainly the case even though 11 changes have been made.
In some cases, with Konate and Van Dijk back for example, they are arguably stronger than at the weekend.
“First and foremost, I think we all have to make sure that we all respect the competition in the right manner, that we respect the opponents in the right manner,” he told TNT Sports.
“I would love to go to the final, obviously, but I have no clue if we can reach that because there will be a lot of fantastic football teams in between us and that target, so we have to make sure we perform.
“We have real talent there, but it is not experimental,” he added. “I think if we don’t get hit by an injury crisis then we should have enough players to field Thursday and Sunday a top team, and that’s pretty much the idea.”
Liverpool’s Andy Robertson says the team ‘feel free’
17:04 , Karl Matchett
Andrew Robertson believes Liverpool have been let off the leash.
The stand-in skipper hailed the Reds’ fresh start following their 3-1 win at Wolves on Saturday.
Robertson scored his first goal since May 2022 – also against Wolves – with five minutes left before Harvey Elliott’s shot deflected in off Hugo Bueno in stoppage time.
It capped a comeback started by Cody Gakpo’s second-half equaliser and extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run in the Premier League, stretching back to last season, to 16 games.
Read Robertson’s thoughts here.
Why Europa League offers unmissable opportunity to Premier League sides
16:52 , Karl Matchett
Barely more than a year ago – a mere 481 days back – Liverpool were lining up for a Champions League final, their third in five seasons. They were defeated by Real Madrid, but Jurgen Klopp’s side were comfortably among Europe’s top clubs and, until the final weeks of that season, were still on course to win a quadruple.
Fast forward those 481 days and the Reds instead are lining up at the Raiffeisen Arena, a brand new stadium in Linz, Austria, where in opponents LASK’s most recent home fixture, a total of 10,000 fans were in attendance. It does hold more – a capacity crowd of 19,000 turned up for the derby a month prior – but that’s still a far cry from the 75,000 at the Stade de France in May 2022, or the regular 50,000 in attendance at a mid-expansion Anfield.
Crowd figures are a million miles away from the full story, but they do underline how fast Liverpool fell last term – and how much of a big fish they are in the pond of the Europa League this season.
Pointlessly early though it is for tables, Klopp’s team were briefly top of the Premier League last weekend. They are unbeaten through five games, despite uneven early performances, and appear to be striking a balance now with an altered attack and a totally new-look midfield.
They are, by a distance, the favourites to win the Europa League.
More on the Europa League and Europa Conference League:
Why Europa League offers unmissable opportunity to Premier League sides
LASK vs Liverpool – confirmed lineup
16:36 , Karl Matchett
The Reds have gone early and named their starting XI to face LASK, with Jurgen Klopp making a full 11 changes to the team – including a first start for Ryan Gravenberch and youngster Ben Doak in the side.
LIV XI: Kelleher, Bajcetic, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott, Doak, Nunez, Diaz.
The likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Joe Gomez, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are all among the subs.
LASK vs Liverpool – LIVE
15:44 , Karl Matchett
Good afternoon and welcome to Thursday nights in Europe with the Independent – tonight our focus is on the start of the Europa League group stage, with Liverpool heading to Austria to face LASK Linz.
Jurgen Klopp’s team were playing in a Champions League final fewer than 500 nights ago; it’s all rather different this time out after a dismal campaign for far too much of last year.
Perhaps this competition offers the chance of silverware all the same and the long journey to the final for the Reds, as well as for Brighton and West Ham, starts here this evening – and the same is true for Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League.