VIDEO: LASK vs Liverpool 1-3 Highlights

Liverpool come from behind to beat LASK but suffer fresh injury blow – 5 talking points

LASK 1-3 LIVERPOOL: Goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah help Jurgen Klopp’s side begin their Europa League campaign with a win over their Austrian opponents

Liverpool came from behind to win for the fourth time in their last five matches as they kicked off their Europa League campaign with victory over LASK.

Jurgen Klopp made 11 changes to his starting XI and must have been concerned when his team went in at half-time 1-0 down after Florian Flecker smashed into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Darwin Nunez saw a point-blank range header kept out brilliantly by LASK goalkeeper Tobias Lawal and it took a moment of good fortune to make the breakthrough.

Luis Diaz was felled in the box and Nunez buried the resulting penalty into the corner to draw Liverpool level at 1-1. They were ahead seven minutes later when Ryan Gravenberch crossed low for Diaz to convert on the break. Klopp brought on the big guns off the bench and Liverpool comfortably held off their Austrian opponents for the three points, but, despite Mohamed Salah’s classy late finish, it was not vintage stuff and Gravenberch limping off won’t help things.

Liverpool have a problem with starting slowly. LASK had done their homework and used two blockers to get Flecker space on the edge of the box. He used it well, smashing a brilliant effort past Caoimhin Kelleher.

But Klopp will be aware of the wider issue at play here: this was the fourth time Liverpool have conceded first across their past five games. LASK joined Bournemouth (three minutes) Newcastle (25 minutes) and Wolves (seven minutes) in taking the lead against the Reds.

And although they came back to win all of those three matches, Liverpool are giving themselves an uphill to climb. That is not a sustainable approach. It is something Klopp needs to address because it’s starting to look a lot more than a coincidence.

 

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