Lewis Koumas was the first player to celebrate with Bradley Barcola in front of the travelling supporters in Linz, after Liverpool's 6-3 Champions League win over LASK. A year ago, Koumas was on loan at Birmingham in the Championship while Barcola was at Paris St-Germain, which went on to win the Champions League for the second season in a row. The pair started together for Liverpool in the match, where Barcola scored a superb hat-trick.
Koumas had his first two strikes ruled out for offside, but it was third time luck for the 21-year-old Wales international. Just three days after making his first Premier League start against Manchester City, with Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike all injured, Koumas became the youngest Liverpool player to score and assist in a Champions League game. The previous record holder was Steven Gerrard in 2001. "It's not a bad stat, is it?" he said. "And it's not a bad name to be alongside. Wow. What a legend. I just want more of this."
Koumas joined Liverpool aged 11 and scored on his first-team debut as an 18-year-old under Jurgen Klopp. After loan spells at Stoke, Birmingham and Hull, where he helped the Tigers win promotion, Andoni Iraola decided in pre-season that he was part of his Liverpool plans. He was man of the match on his first start of the season against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup, with Iraola describing his playing style as "contagious". "It was probably the best feeling in my career, 100%," said Koumas after his first goal of the season.
Koumas nearly scored his first Premier League goal against Manchester City, but Gianluigi Donnarumma kept his effort out. He was "absolutely gutted", but knows that Isak and Gakpo will soon return to first-team contention. "You never know when your last game is going to be," Koumas said. "I have got to keep pushing, every chance I get." He could lead Liverpool's attack again when they travel to Brentford on Saturday.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing