Liverpool conceded for the fourth time in five matches this season but managed a 3-1 win over LASK in Linz to make Jurgen Klopp the first coach to win 50 European games with the Merseyside club.
West Ham, who won the Conference League last season, also defeated Serbian club Bacca Topola 3-1
Brighton, making their Europa League debut, and Aston Villa, who returned to Europe after 12 years in the Conference League, conceded early and, although they equalized twice, lost 3-2.
In Amsterdam, Ajax, who have won just two matches all season and are 12th in the Dutch league, faced third-placed Marseille in Ligue 1.
However, after a meeting between Marseille fan representatives and the club’s management reportedly turned nasty, coach Marcelino, who was only appointed in June, resigned on Tuesday after just seven matches in his post.
Both teams started Thursday’s game.
Ajax Cracked open the visitors’ defense in the first 20 minutes and took a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Carlos Borges and Steven Berghuis.
I knew the players would come back into the game and we would score the goal that would set us free. It was a crazy game, but I also think we were in control, Marseille interim coach Jacques Abardonado said.
Jonathan Clauss and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored before halftime.
It could have been 6:6
After both sides fired at the opposition goal, Kenneth Taylor restored the hosts’ advantage, but Aubameyang equalized with 12 minutes to go. Marseille ended up with 25 shots on goal.
It could have been 6-6, Ajax coach Maurice Steyn said. I don’t want to talk about the crisis, I saw a great match with a full stadium.
In Brighton, Djibril Sidibé gave AEK the lead with a header from 13 meters.
Brighton equalized twice thanks to Joao Pedro’s penalty. AEK took the lead twice.n sudden deflections in the rain opened up chances. Mijat Gacinovic scored a goal and Esekiel Ponce scored the winning goal.
We can improve, but it’s hard to accept this defeat,” Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi said. ‘I can’t be happy when we win at Old Trafford and today I’m frustrated with a good performance.
We didn’t show the same experience as AEK Athens.
Liverpool, playing in the Europa League for the first time since finishing second in 2016, changed all of their starting 11 players for the match against LASK.
Liverpool gave Florian Flecker’s side the lead in the 14th minute.
Darwin Nunez equalized by converting a penalty in the 55th minute after Luis Diaz was brought down.
After 61 minutes, Klopp began substituting teenagers for main squad players.
Already two minutes later, the team took the lead when Ryan Gravenberch, making his debut on the pitch, broke down the right flank and made a pass to Diaz, who scored from close range.
Two minutes into the match, Mohamed Salah, who came on as a second-half substitute, put a third goal into the net.
I am very, very happy because I already said I knew it would be difficult and it was difficult, Klopp said.
In the end a well-deserved win and that’s it.
In the other Europa League match, Romelu Lukaku brought last year’s finalists Roma to a 2-1 win over Moldova’s Sheriff.
Abdallah Sima scored the only goal as Rangers beat Real Betis 1-0 in Glasgow.
Bayer Leverkusen defeated Haken of Sweden 4-0, Rennes in France beat Maccabi Haifa 3-0, and Spain’s Villarreal lost 2-0 to Panathinakos in Greece.
In the Conference League, Aston Villa gave way to Legia Warsaw as early as the third minute and, despite equalizing twice, lost 3-2.
We oweWe have to be demanding of ourselves to impose a game plan, but we didn’t do that, said Villa boss Unai Emery, a three-time Europa League winner.
I like difficult matches where there is a struggle. That’s the kind of matches we will fight in the group.
