Liverpool fell behind for the fourth time in five matches this season but fought back to beat LASK 3-1 in Linz in the Europa League on Friday (AEST).
Elsewhere in the early matches in the first round of the group stage of the second-tier European competition, Romelu Lukaku earned last year’s beaten finalists Roma a 2-1 victory at Sheriff.
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Bayer Leverkusen crushed Swedes Hacken 4-0, Rennes cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in France, Spaniards Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece.
Liverpool, playing in the Europa League for the first time since finishing runners up in 2016, changed their entire starting 11 away to LASK and quickly fell behind.
In the 14th minute, Sascha Horvath lobbed a corner to Florian Flecker just outside the Liverpool box. The Austrian midfielder controlled the dropping ball before smashing a rocket shot past Caoimhin Kelleher in the Liverpool goal.
Darwin Nunez levelled with a 55th-minute penalty kick after Luis Diaz was brought down.
After 61 minutes, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp started to replace teenagers with regular starters.
Within two minutes they were ahead when Ryan Gravenberch burst down the right and crossed low for Diaz to score from close range.
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Two minutes from the end Mohamed Salah, a second-half replacement, poked home a third.
In Moldova, Leandro Paredes scored four minutes into first-half injury time to give Roma the lead away to Sheriff.
Colombian Cristian Tovar levelled but Romelu Lukaku gave Jose Mourinho’s team a narrow victory.
Brighton were also given a brutal reality check of just how difficult European football is as they lost 3-2 to AEK Athens.
The Seagulls had to come from behind twice courtesy of two Joao Pedro penalties before AEK’s Ezequiel Ponce popped up in the 84th minute to secure three points at the Amex Stadium.
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FULL EUROPA LEAGUE RESULTS
Rennes 3-0 Maccabi Haifa
LASK 1-3 Liverpool
Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 BK Hacken
Qarabag FK 1-0 Molde
Servette 0-2 Slavia Praha
Sheriff 1-2 Roma
Panathinaikos 2-0 Villarreal
Union Saint-Gilloise 1-1 Toulouse
Atalanta 2-0 Rakow Czestochowa
SK Sturm Graz 1-2 Sporting
Ajax 3-3 Marseille
Rangers 1-0 Real Betis
Olympiacos 2-3 SC Freiburg
Brighton 2-3 AEK Athens
Sparta Prague 3-2 Aris Limassol
West Ham United 3-1 Backa Topola