As a $44 million summer transfer choice pays off immediately for the Reds in Europe, Liverpool may have found its answer to James Maddison.
On Thursday, Liverpool began its first Europa League campaign since the 2015–16 season. Despite having more difficulties than expected, Liverpool was able to earn all three points.
Florian Flecker’s goal from the edge of the penalty box gave the Reds an early lead over LASK in Austria after just 15 minutes, and they would not be able to tie the score before halftime.
In order to prevent a fairly embarrassing upset, Liverpool was under pressure to step up its game in the second half. Only around 10 minutes after play resumed, Darwin Nez’s penalty kick gave Liverpool the equalizer.
The comeback was quick when Luis Daz scored just after the hour mark, but the visitor would have to wait until the 87th minute as replacement Mohamed Salah slid the ball home to seal the victory.
Liverpool, which is back in action against the latter at Anfield in a few weeks, will benefit greatly from the 1-1 draw between Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse in Group E’s other match.
Even though Ryan Gravenberch’s Liverpool debut against LASK wasn’t flawless, it was nevertheless exciting. The Dutchman struggled a bit with possession at times and had to leave the game early due to what turned out to be cramp.
On the plus side, he contributed a fantastic assist to Luis D’iaz’s goal and drew a team-high four fouls, suggesting he can follow in the footsteps of James Maddison, the most fouled center midfielder in the Premier League so far this season.
