Lewis Koumas breaks Steven Gerrard's Champions League record for Liverpool
Lewis Koumas scored and assisted in Liverpool's 6-3 win at LASK to become the youngest Liverpool player to do both in one Champions League match, beating Steven Gerrard.
Lewis Koumas has written his name into Liverpool's Champions League record books. The academy graduate scored and provided an assist in the 6-3 win away to LASK on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, and according to The Analyst (Opta), at 21 years and 25 days he became the youngest Liverpool player ever to both score and assist in the same Champions League match, a record previously held by Steven Gerrard. On a night dominated by a Bradley Barcola hat-trick, it was Koumas's milestone that gave the matchday 2 victory its historical twist.
Koumas breaks Steven Gerrard's Champions League record
Records involving Gerrard carry special weight at Anfield. The former captain lifted the Champions League in 2005 and remains one of the defining figures of the club's history, so overtaking him on any list is a significant moment for a young player. Koumas did it by combining both sides of an attacker's job in Linz: finishing a chance himself and creating one for a team-mate.
His goal came in the second half. Jeremie Frimpong delivered the cross and Koumas guided the ball under LASK goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth. It was a reward for persistence, because he had already seen an earlier effort ruled out for offside.
Lewis Koumas record: key facts
- Match: LASK 3-6 Liverpool, Champions League matchday 2, 14 October 2026.
- Contribution: one goal and one assist; one further goal disallowed for offside.
- Record: youngest Liverpool player to score and assist in the same Champions League match, at 21 years and 25 days (The Analyst).
- Previous holder: Steven Gerrard.
Barcola hat-trick headlines a nine-goal night in Linz
Koumas was far from the only Liverpool player to shine. Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick, while Ronald Araújo and Frimpong were also on target to complete the visitors' six goals. Frimpong's evening was especially productive, with a goal of his own and the cross for Koumas's strike.
The first half was one-sided. According to The Analyst, Liverpool took 19 shots before the break, the most by an away side in a Champions League first half on record, and went in three goals ahead. It was the first time Liverpool had led by three goals at half-time in a Champions League match since April 2018.
LASK still found the net three times on the night, making the final scoreline closer than the first-half balance of play suggested. Over the full match Liverpool generated 3.34 expected goals from 26 attempts, while LASK produced 2.02, figures that show the home side created enough to trouble Liverpool's defence even on a night when Liverpool were clearly the stronger side.
| Statistic (The Analyst) | LASK | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 6 |
| Total attempts | - | 26 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.02 | 3.34 |
| First-half shots | - | 19 |
What the win means in the Champions League table
The victory gave Liverpool a perfect start to the league phase. According to the Yalla Shoot data, they sit fifth in the 36-team table with six points from two matches, having scored eight goals and conceded four. Barcola's hat-trick means he already has three goals in the competition.
LASK, playing their first home match of this league phase, are 33rd after two defeats, with three goals scored and seven conceded. Under the league-phase format, the top eight teams qualify directly for the round of 16 and those from ninth to 24th go into a play-off round, so Liverpool's early haul of points puts them in a strong position with six matches remaining.
Why the record matters for Koumas
Koumas is a product of Liverpool's academy and the son of former Wales international Jason Koumas. The academy at Kirkby has a proud tradition of producing first-team players, from Gerrard himself to Trent Alexander-Arnold, and every young player who breaks through is measured against that lineage.
Matching a goal and an assist in a Champions League match, and doing it younger than Gerrard did, is the kind of statistic that gets noticed. The bigger significance for Koumas is what it says about his readiness: he kept making runs into dangerous areas after his first effort was disallowed, and he was rewarded for it. In a squad with as much attacking depth as Liverpool's, contributions like that are how young players earn more minutes.
Liverpool's wider picture
The win in Linz offered a welcome lift in Europe. Domestically, the Yalla Shoot data shows Liverpool ninth in the Premier League with nine points from six matches, and the previous weekend they had lost 3-0 to Manchester City, according to the Irish Examiner's report on City's subsequent Champions League match. A six-goal away win, with a young academy player making history, is the type of performance that can restore confidence.
What's next
Liverpool now return to Premier League action before resuming their Champions League campaign on matchday 3. Koumas will hope that his record-breaking night in Austria earns him further opportunities in both competitions. Follow every result on our live scores page and track the league phase on the Champions League page.