From the terraces to the pitch

Lewis Koumas has never tried to hide where he comes from. A Liverpool supporter before he was a Liverpool player, that connection runs deep, and it showed in the most visible way possible after his side's 6-3 Champions League victory over LASK. Asked about walking over to applaud the fans at the final whistle, the 21-year-old did not dress it up. "Going over to the fans at the end meant absolutely everything," he said. "They are the reason we do this and that we want this sort of job. They mean everything to us. I wish I could have got in there with them but there was a big metal cage in my way."

That last line tells you everything about where Koumas's head is at. No manufactured gratitude, no media training kicking in. Just a young man from the terraces who somehow ended up on the pitch, and who has not forgotten which side of the barrier he grew up on.

The record that puts him in rare company

It was not just the goal and assist that made the evening significant. Koumas became only the second 21-year-old to both score and assist in a Champions League fixture, joining a certain Steven Gerrard in that particular piece of history. When told of the statistic, his reaction was exactly what you would expect from someone who grew up idolising players of that calibre. "It's not a bad stat, is it?" he said. "It's not a bad name to be alongside. Wow! What a legend."

The landmark matters because it provides context for what Koumas had been building towards. In six appearances this season, the Welsh international had yet to find the net despite having several chances. Two efforts were ruled out for offside against LASK alone, and the patience required to keep going in those moments is not something every young forward possesses. "I would have been gutted if the game had ended [without a goal]," he admitted. "I just kept going because I knew the more the game was going on, it was opening up and I was just focused on getting the right connection."

What comes next for the academy product

Koumas has stepped in as centre forward in the absence of first-team regulars, and in doing so he has brought an infectious energy that the supporters have responded to warmly. His pace, his pressing and his willingness to chase lost causes have been visible from the off. The question now is whether that output against LASK can be sustained, because that is the bridge between being a useful squad option and becoming someone the manager genuinely cannot leave out.

"I just want more of this," he said, adding that he is fully aware of the demands the role carries. "Yes [he is loving how things are going] but this is also my job. I need to get goals and assists, I hadn't had any before Linz. So it was really important to get them." Whether he starts against Brentford likely depends on the fitness of the players he has been covering for, but if that door remains open, the away end will have a very clear idea of what they are about to see.