Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez Shine as Liverpool Win 3-1 Away to LASK

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool made a slow start to their UEFA Europa League Group E matchday 1 game against LASK on Thursday night, falling behind to Florian Flecker’s thunderbolt from outside the area. However, they battled back impressively, with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez leading the charge.

Nunez equalised with a well-taken penalty early in the second half, before Diaz fired home to put the Reds in front. Mohamed Salah then sealed the three points late in the day, giving Liverpool the perfect start to their Europa League campaign.

Player Ratings: Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez Lead the Way

Here we compare our player ratings with those of the Liverpool Echo, Goal, FotMob and This Is Anfield’s readers.

Finishing on top spot in the ratings was Luis Diaz (8.0), who took his goal brilliantly and was a massive outlet for Liverpool. The 26-year-old looks to have overcome the knee injury that kept him sidelined for much of last season and he remains a hugely important player for Klopp.

TIA’s David Lynch picked Diaz out as his star player on the night, claiming that he “did better than any other attacker in terms of forcing turnovers out of possession.”

Next up was Nunez (7.5), whose promising start to the season continues, in terms of his goalscoring output. The Uruguayan was a menace throughout the evening, putting his pace and goal threat to good use, and he dispatched his penalty with ease.

The Echo’s Ian Doyle felt that Nunez was “a willing runner in behind”, causing problems for LASK’s defenders, and FotMob noted that he made four recoveries, giving him an 8.6 rating in the process.

Ryan Gravenberch (7.3) completed the top three, following a promising full Liverpool debut – one that saw him tee-up Diaz brilliantly for his goal. Peter McVitie of Goal said that the Dutchman produced “intelligent passes and quick decisions” for the Reds, adding that he did “remarkably well” with his assist.

The worst player on the night according to the overall ratings was Wataru Endo (5.1), with the midfielder looking a fair way off the pace.

Quick Turnaround for Liverpool Ahead of West Ham Clash

It’s now a quick turnaround for Liverpool, who host West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon (2pm UK). The Reds will be hoping to build on their impressive 3-1 win away to LASK and continue their strong start to the season.