Liverpool found the response they needed after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, scoring six goals in an extraordinary Champions League victory away to LASK.

Bradley Barcola scored three times, Florian Wirtz produced an influential display and academy forwards Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas made important contributions as Andoni Iraola’s side overwhelmed their Austrian hosts for long spells.

Ronald Araújo opened the scoring from a Kostas Tsimikas corner before Barcola struck twice in the first half, the second following a clever pass from Wirtz. Jeremie Frimpong added a fourth shortly after the interval, and Barcola completed his hat-trick before Koumas finally got the goal his performance deserved.

Yet the 6-3 scoreline also told a more complicated story. Liverpool conceded three times in the second half, with Robert Ljubicic and Florian Flecker exposing a loss of defensive control after the visitors had established what looked like an unassailable advantage.

For Iraola, the night offered encouragement about Liverpool’s attacking depth and the contribution of their younger players. It also provided a reminder that a commanding lead must be managed, even when the result appears secure.

The French forward arrived in Austria under scrutiny after a difficult start to his Liverpool career. Against LASK, he answered that criticism with three goals that showcased his finishing, movement and ability to combine with those around him.

Liverpool had started brightly without immediately finding a breakthrough. Florian Wirtz wriggled between two defenders in the 11th minute but saw his effort stopped by goalkeeper Jungwirth, while Araújo had already threatened from a corner.

The opening goal arrived in the 22nd minute. Tsimikas delivered from the left and Araújo rose above the LASK defence to power a header into the net, rewarding Liverpool’s growing pressure from set pieces.

Two minutes later, Barcola doubled the lead after an incisive move involving Ngumoha and Koumas. Ngumoha’s direct running unsettled LASK captain Andrés Andrade, and although the teenager went to ground under pressure, Koumas collected the loose ball, turned away from his marker and squared for Barcola to finish from close range.

It was a goal built on the qualities Liverpool had been missing in recent weeks: a willingness to attack defenders, intelligent reactions to a loose ball and a composed final action.

Barcola’s second came in the 37th minute, with Wirtz providing the decisive pass. The German threaded a superb ball through the defensive line, allowing Barcola to take the ball beyond his marker and finish into the far corner.

The combination was the clearest example of what Liverpool hope the pair can produce consistently. Wirtz found the space and supplied the pass; Barcola made the run and finished with conviction.

The forward completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute. Ngumoha again drove into a dangerous position, Frimpong delivered the cutback and Barcola finished at the far post.

After a first goal for the club earlier in the evening, he had three. The performance will not settle every question about his adaptation to English football, but it was a significant step in the right direction.

Barcola and Wirtz will take the headlines, but Liverpool’s young forwards helped make the result possible.

Ngumoha was direct and fearless from the right, repeatedly taking on defenders and forcing LASK to adjust. His contribution to the second goal was particularly important, with his movement creating the uncertainty that allowed Koumas to recover the ball and set up Barcola.

Koumas, meanwhile, worked tirelessly through the middle. He helped create Barcola’s first goal and twice thought he had scored before being denied by the offside flag. His runs behind the defence gave Wirtz an option beyond the midfield and stopped LASK from comfortably holding their defensive line.

His reward finally arrived in the 72nd minute. Frimpong, increasingly influential from the right, delivered a low cross and Koumas finished early to make it 6-1.

The reaction from the travelling supporters reflected the significance of the moment. Koumas had played with energy against City and carried that work rate into Europe, where he showed that he could contribute beyond simply occupying a place in the starting line-up.

Iraola had explained before kick-off that rotation was necessary with Liverpool playing every few days. He also described Koumas and Ngumoha as first-team players rather than academy prospects being given a brief chance.

Their performances justified that confidence. Both offered something different to Liverpool’s attack, and their contributions were not limited to the goals they helped create.

Frimpong’s second-half performance was another positive. The full-back made it 4-0 in the 51st minute, meeting Tsimikas’s cross with an excellent header at the far post.

It was an impressive finish from a player not known primarily for his aerial ability, and it extended Liverpool’s advantage after a first half in which they had created chances from set pieces, individual dribbling and combinations through the centre.

Frimpong also supplied the cross for Koumas’s goal and the cutback for Barcola’s hat-trick. His ability to advance beyond the winger gave Liverpool an additional route into the final third, particularly once LASK began to tire.

But his attacking influence came with a defensive cost as the match opened up. Liverpool’s fourth goal should have put the contest beyond doubt, yet their organisation deteriorated as LASK began to attack with greater urgency.

Ljubicic pulled one back in the 63rd minute, turning and finishing from close range after Yvan Dibango delivered from the left. Barcola restored Liverpool’s five-goal advantage three minutes later, but the visitors could not re-establish the same defensive control.

Flecker scored twice in quick succession, first meeting another Dibango delivery with a diving header in the 74th minute, then finishing across Alisson Becker in the 77th after the LASK left-back again found space to cross.

The late goals did not threaten to overturn Liverpool’s lead, but they changed the complexion of the evening. A match that had become a showcase for Liverpool’s attacking depth ended with the defence under pressure and the goalkeeper beaten three times.

There was plenty for Iraola to welcome. Barcola found his finishing touch, Wirtz influenced the game between the lines, and Ngumoha and Koumas demonstrated that the club’s younger players can contribute meaningfully in Europe.

Liverpool also showed they could create chances through different routes. Araújo’s opener came from a corner; Barcola’s first followed Ngumoha’s direct running and Koumas’s awareness; the third was a demonstration of Wirtz’s vision. Frimpong then provided an aerial threat before helping create the final two Liverpool goals.

That variety matters for a team that had struggled to turn promising spells into consistent attacking output against City. The quality of Liverpool’s movement and their willingness to attack space made them much more difficult to contain.

But the final half-hour also exposed a familiar problem: the ability to control a match after establishing a substantial lead. Liverpool conceded three goals despite holding a five-goal advantage at one stage, with LASK repeatedly finding room to deliver from wide areas.

The absence of several senior players helps explain why Iraola rotated his side, but it does not remove the need for better game management. Liverpool must be able to sustain their defensive discipline even when substitutions alter the shape and rhythm of the team.

The result gives them a second Champions League win from two league-phase matches and a valuable lift after the weekend’s disappointment. More importantly, it offers evidence that Barcola and Liverpool’s younger attackers can make a difference when given the right platform.

The challenge now is to carry the attacking confidence into the Premier League without allowing the defensive lapses to become a recurring feature.

Liverpool scored six, and there was much to admire about how they did it. The fact they conceded three means the night was emphatic without being entirely reassuring.