LINZ, Austria (Interstat) — Jeremie Frimpong had one goal and two assists, Bradley Barcola scored three times and Liverpool defeated LASK 6-3 on Wednesday in a fast-moving football match. The visitors scored twice inside the first 24 minutes and led 3-0 by the 37th, then answered a brief LASK surge with three more goals to secure the competition win.

Liverpool opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Ronald Araujo found the net. Barcola made it 2-0 two minutes later and added his second in the 37th. Frimpong pushed the lead to 4-0 in the 51st minute before LASK finally broke through. Robert Ljubicic scored in the 63rd, but Barcola completed his hat trick in the 66th to restore Liverpool’s four-goal cushion. Lewis Koumas scored in the 72nd, and Florian Flecker pulled two goals back for LASK in the 74th and 77th. The sequence left LASK chasing the game for long stretches, though its two late goals gave the home side a brief lift.

Frimpong was Liverpool’s top performer, finishing with a goal and two assists. Barcola’s hat trick came in 73 minutes before he was substituted. Koumas also contributed a goal and an assist. For LASK, Y. Dibango set up three goals, and Florian Flecker scored twice in 44 minutes. Ronald Araujo scored once for Liverpool, Konstantinos Tsimikas supplied two assists and Robert Ljubicic scored in a 28-minute appearance for LASK. Florian Wirtz added an assist. Liverpool’s other attacking moves often flowed through Frimpong and Tsimikas, while Wirtz helped link midfield and attack. Frimpong’s influence was constant, and his goal and two assists made him the game’s central figure for Liverpool.

LASK made a change at halftime, bringing on K. P. Molgaard Jorgensen. Liverpool made a double substitution in the 62nd minute, with J. Jacquet and Araujo coming off. LASK brought on M. Bogarde in the 62nd. LASK also made changes in the 71st, with S. Adeniran and A. Schopf entering. Barcola left in the 73rd after his hat trick. LASK made another change in the 82nd, bringing on C. Lang. Liverpool used two more substitutions in the 85th, including R. Ngumoha and T. Nyoni. D. Elfadli received the game’s only yellow card in the 80th minute for LASK. The card came after the match had already been decided, with Liverpool holding a three-goal lead and controlling the closing stages.

Liverpool’s record in the competition moved to 1-0, while LASK fell to 0-1. Across all competitions, Liverpool is now 3-1-3, and LASK is 1-2. Liverpool entered the match after a loss to Manchester City, a win at Bournemouth, a draw with Fulham, a win at Ipswich, and draws with Nottingham and Newcastle. LASK had lost to Rapid and beaten First Vienna. The result gave Liverpool a winning start in the competition and left LASK still seeking its first win in the event. The competition win gave Liverpool momentum after an uneven run of results, while LASK remained without a win in the event.

Liverpool next plays at Brentford U18 in the Premier League. LASK next plays at A. Lustenau in the Austrian Bundesliga. Liverpool’s upcoming schedule also includes matches against Brighton, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Everton. LASK will continue its domestic campaign after the loss. The game featured nine total goals and a frantic late stretch. The high-scoring match gave Liverpool another attacking boost before its next league fixtures.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Liverpool 2, LASK 1. Interstat’s ELO system projected Liverpool with a 96.7 percent probability to win. Liverpool had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 9 went under the over/under line of 3. The projections favored Liverpool before kickoff, and the visitors delivered a six-goal performance on the road.