Andoni Iraola said Bradley Barcola was "in the zone" during Liverpool's thumping 6-3 win over LASK in the Champions League, a match that saw him score a hat-trick. Liverpool registered a confidence-boosting win at Raiffeisen Arena on Wednesday having come into the game on the back of a defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League.Barcola had failed to register a goal contribution in his first six games in all competitions for the Reds, but he produced a fine display to get his Liverpool career up and running.Ronald Araujo had headed Liverpool in front before Barcola opened his account with a sweeping 24-minute finish, going on to double his goal tally just before half-time. Jeremie Frimpong pulled Liverpool further clear, only for Robert Ljubicic to pull one back, but Barcola completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute to all but secure the victory. Barcola's hat-trick was just the fifth scored by a Liverpool player in an away match in the European Cup/Champions League and the first since Mohamed Salah against Rangers in 2022, while it was the Frenchman's first-ever treble in the 238th appearance of his senior career (for club and country combined). Ahead of kick-off, Iraola leapt to the defence of Barcola and Florian Wirtz, insisting he had "100% trust" in the pair amid Liverpool's injury issues, and the Spaniard believed the big-money duo more than proved their worth. "I think he played so well today and not just the goals. He had more chances to score, he was always a threat attacking the spaces in behind," Iraola said of Barcola. "In training, sometimes you feel when a player is in the zone, and fortunately, tonight for us, he has shown the level that he has."Match ball secured https://t.co/EgS1aqSN6W— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 14, 2026On Wirtz, who notched his second assist of the season in all competitions, Iraola added: "I think he was amazing in possession."I think he had lively passes, good assists, he helped us to control the game. Especially in the first half where he was roaming around and finding good spots."Liverpool had 19 shots by half-time against LASK – the most on record (since 2003-04) by any team in the first half of a Champions League away match. Furthermore, their 26 shots overall were the Reds' joint-most in an away game in the competition on record.The Reds also scored 6+ goals in a European Cup/Champions League away game for just the third time, previously doing so in 2017 (7-0 v Maribor) and 2022 (7-1 v Rangers), though there was some concern at the opposite end of the pitch. Jeremy Jacquet and Araujo were replaced by Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez just after the hour, with all three of LASK's goals coming when the substitutes were on the pitch. After Lewis Koumas had put Liverpool 5-1 up, two goals in three minutes from Florian Flecker threatened a nervy finish, but the damage had already been done by the visitors. "Probably the reason why the manager shouldn't change both centre-backs," Iraola said of his team's defensive woes. "But we were already winning 4-0, and you have to think about the next game and saving the legs of the players. We didn't defend properly at the end of the game."The post Hat-trick hero Barcola showed his level against LASK, says Iraola appeared first on SoccerNews.