Barcola's Hat-Trick Against LASK Earns UEFA Champions League Player of the Week

Bradley Barcola is finally up and running at Liverpool, and Europe has noticed. The France winger has been voted the UEFA Champions League Player of the Week after firing his first Liverpool hat-trick in Wednesday's wild 6-3 win away at LASK in Austria.

Barcola struck in the 24th and 37th minutes before completing his treble in the 66th, ending a dry spell that had stretched through his first six appearances in a Liverpool shirt. He topped UEFA's fan vote ahead of Nicolò Tresoldi, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal to claim the official weekly award.

The treble could hardly have come at a better time for the 24-year-old. Liverpool paid Paris Saint-Germain €125 million in guaranteed fees, with a further €20 million in potential bonuses, to make him their marquee summer signing, and the pressure of that price tag had been mounting with each goalless outing. On Wednesday night he finally looked the player Anfield expected.

The victory keeps Liverpool perfect in Europe, with six points from six putting them fifth in the league-phase table. The contrast with their domestic form remains stark: after six Premier League matchdays they sit ninth on nine points, fresh off a 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City. If Barcola's Austrian awakening carries over, that gap may close quickly.