Liverpool came back from behind to beat LASK Linz in their UEFA Europa League group-stage opener on Thursday (21 September).
LASK took the lead in the 14th minute through right midfielder Florian Flecker's sweetly struck long-range shot after he was found by Sascha's Horvath corner kick. The Reds had to wait until the 56th minute to find the equalizer, when Darwin Nunez converted from the spot.
The Uruguayan striker started in a revamped front three alongside Luis Diaz and Ben Doak. The match also saw Ryan Gravenberch make his first Liverpool start, and he assisted the Colombian winger's goal around the hour mark.
Just before the second goal, Jurgen Klopp brought on Dominik Szoboszlai, Joe Gomez and Alexis Mac Allister to strengthen his XI. With the club leading 2-1 with 16 minutes left on the clock, Klopp brought Mohamed Salah on after initially leaving him out of the starting XI.
The decision paid off as Salah sealed the scoreline two minutes from time with a cheeky left-footed finish between the goalkeeper's legs. One fan praised the former Chelsea winger's impact and quality and tweeted:
"Mo Salah has absolutely no business being in the Europa League lol. A level above and hilariously so."
Another fan pointed out how Liverpool are making it a habit to come back from behind and win, tweeting:
"We like comebacks, don't we?"
Here are a selection of handpicked tweets from Liverpool fans on X after their win in Austria:
Out of their six games across competitions, the Reds have conceded first on four occasions. They have gone on to win each of those matches — three of them with a 3-1 scoreline.
Liverpool table-toppers in Europa League group after win against LASK
Liverpool's 3-1 win against LASK Linz puts them comfortably on top of Group E. The other two teams, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse, played out a 1-1 draw in Belgium.
This was the Reds' first game in the Europa League since the final of the 2015-16 UEFA Europa League. Despite taking the lead through a wonderful Daniel Sturridge goal, they lost the final 3-1 to Sevilla.
Jurgen Klopp has already emphasized that the Reds will provide due respect to the competition. He put out a strong line-up against LASK and brought out the big guns from the bench after the hour mark.
Their next task is a home league game against West Ham United on Sunday (24 September). A win here could take the Reds to the top of the league table if other results go their way.
