Six games without a goal or an assist. A $163 million (£123 million) price tag. A damaging defeat to Manchester City. Bradley Barcola could hardly have picked a better time to silence the doubts surrounding his Liverpool career. The French winger scored his first three goals for the club in Wednesday’s 6-3 Champions League win over LASK, becoming the first Frenchman to score a hat-trick for Liverpool. After a difficult start, the 23-year-old finally delivered the kind of performance that makes an enormous transfer fee look worthwhile. But as this wild night in Austria showed, Liverpool have more than one problem to solve. The Champions League victory was a breakthrough for Barcola — and a reminder that this Liverpool team is still a work in progress.

Bradley Barcola’s Hat Trick Changes the Conversation

The signs were there almost immediately. Ronald Araújo opened the scoring with his first goal for Liverpool, and Barcola struck just 96 seconds later, finishing after good work from Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas. Before halftime, he had his second, taking advantage of a precise Florian Wirtz pass and finishing with the composure expected of a player who cost an initial $140 million (£106 million), with add-ons potentially lifting the fee to $163 million. The performance was not just about getting his name on the scoresheet. Barcola looked quicker, more decisive and far more confident taking defenders on.

His third goal arrived in the 66th minute, when he tapped in Jeremie Frimpong’s low cross to complete the treble. He became the 13th player to score a hat-trick for the club in European Cup history. It was also his first senior hat-trick. That is a significant milestone for a player who arrived with enormous expectations and had yet to produce a goal or assist in his first six Liverpool appearances. One night cannot guarantee consistency, but it gives Barcola two things he desperately needed: proof that he can make a decisive impact in a Liverpool shirt, and confidence.

Liverpool’s Attack Exploded — and Made History

Barcola was the headline act, but Liverpool’s attacking display was much bigger than one player. Araújo and Jeremie Frimpong scored with headers, while Koumas added a sixth goal after Barcola completed his hat-trick. Wirtz also looked increasingly influential, providing the sort of incisive passing that Liverpool hoped to see when they invested heavily in him. The Reds registered 19 first-half shots, the most by an away team in the opening 45 minutes of a Champions League match since Opta’s records began in 2003-04, according to Liverpool’s account of the historic performance.

That matters because Liverpool needed a response. Their 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City on Sunday had raised questions about the team’s form, and the new signings were inevitably part of the discussion. Against LASK, Liverpool played with the speed, movement and attacking conviction supporters expected. Wirtz found space, Barcola attacked defenders, and the younger players contributed rather than simply filling out the team sheet. It was the sort of collective performance that can help an expensive new-look side begin to click. The challenge now is to reproduce it against stronger opposition and in games where chances are harder to come by.

The $163 Million Question Has Not Disappeared

There is a reason not to get carried away. Liverpool led 6-1 after Koumas scored, yet LASK found the net twice more through Florian Flecker to make the final score 6-3. The hosts had already scored once through Robert Ljubičić, and Liverpool’s late defending took some of the shine off an otherwise commanding European night. Manager Andoni Iraola will welcome the attacking response, but he will also know that conceding three goals after building such a huge lead is not something to ignore.

For Barcola, the immediate pressure has eased. His fee — an initial $140 million, potentially rising to $163 million — means every quiet performance will invite scrutiny, and a single hat-trick cannot settle the debate over whether Liverpool paid the right price. But it can be the beginning of a turning point. The next test comes against Brentford on Saturday, when the winger will have a chance to show that his performance in Austria was more than a one-night explosion. Liverpool have seen the talent. Now they need to see it regularly.