22 September 2023 , 04:00
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Liverpool got their Europa League campaign off to a winning start by overcoming LASK on Thursday night.
The Reds weren’t at their best in Austria, but goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah helped Jurgen Klopp's side pick up a 3-1 victory. Liverpool went behind for the fourth time in five games when Florian Flecker smashed into the bottom corner, but the Reds improved after the break.
Nunez scored from the penalty spot to make it 1-1 after Diaz was brought down and the Colombian winger put Liverpool ahead from Ryan Gravenberch’s low cross. Salah then climbed off the bench to poke in a third and make the game safe.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to facing West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. Here are the latest news stories concerning the club.
Gravenberch injury not serious
Gravenberch made his first start for Liverpool since his £34million move from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day. He made a good impression, getting up and down the pitch and recording his first assist.
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But it appeared that his full debut may have been marred when he went down in the second half following a strong run forward. Salah was summoned from the bench as Gravenberch walked gingerly off.
Ryan Gravenberch was substituted on his first start for Liverpool (Harry Langer/Getty Images)Thankfully, Klopp confirmed that it was nothing serious for the 21-year-old midfielder. He told TNT Sports post-match that the Dutchman had suffered cramp following a long period without regular game time. “He told me he had a cramp and that makes sense,” he said. “It was his first start for a while, I think.”
Read more here.
Klopp surpasses club legends
The win in Austria was a significant one for Klopp, who is approaching his eight-year anniversary in charge of Liverpool. The victory was his 50th in Europe, taking him one past Rafa Benitez and beyond European greats Bob Paisley, Bill Shankly and Joe Fagan.
Jurgen Klopp won his 50th European game in charge of Liverpool (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Asked about the landmark, Klopp said: “Honestly, it’s great but probably because the competition now has so many more games than in the past!
“Let me say it like this though, if I still have 50 wins after the group stage, then even if I’ve still got the most wins in Europe as a Liverpool manager then everybody will hate that! The highest number of wins but everybody will hate it!” Overall his record as Liverpool manager reads: played 439, won 265, lost 75, drawn 99. Not bad.
Read more here.
Young guns hailed
Although it took the established stars to win the game against LASK, Klopp was still delighted with the performances of his young players.
Ben Doak, 17, Stefan Bajcetic, 18, Harvey Elliott, 20, and Gravenberch, 21, all started and all made an impression for Liverpool. “We had to get used to it, so we can learn so much,” Klopp said. “If we could have used Ben Doak a little more often, give him the ball a little more, then he could have had more even times on the touchline to cause problems.
“Stefan found a way into the game, after a rather difficult start, but we caused them more problems with the timing of the passes, and Ryan Gravenberch played a super game he was decisive for us. While Harvey was excellent.”
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