Londoner Christian Burgess nets header before facing Liverpool with Union Saint-Gilloise

By Alessandro Schiavone in Brussels

Union Saint-Gilloise 3-1 Charleroi

Goals: Sykes (USG), Guiagon (C), Sykes (USG), Burgess (USG)

A hat-trick of well-executed headers saw Union Saint Gilloise dispatch a disjointed Charleroi side 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.

English defender Ross Sykes nodded in the visitors' opener before sealing the win when he guided another header back across keeper Koffi and into the far corner.

Sandwiched in between, Londoner Christian Burgess opened his account for the campaign when his glancing header restored Liverpool's next Europa League opponents' lead after Guiagon had cancelled out Sykes' strike.

Swiss midfielder Cameron Puertas had a starring role in Union Saint Gilloise's comfortable home win,  setting up all three goals, two from direct free-kicks and one from an outswinging corner.

There was a universal agreement though that Charleroi were not up to the task when defending aerial balls, their chief tormentor and Achilles Heel.

But don't expect Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander Arnold and company to give Union Saint-Gilloise's towering English defenders all this freedom to make themselves at home in their own box when both sides meet in three days.

And unlike Koffi who inexplicably stayed on his line instead of coming for crosses and dominate his six-yard area, Reds understudy Kelleher, or Alisson should the Brazilian play, will both make life much harder for the Brussels side.

Yet what better way than travelling to Anfield sitting top of the table for Barking-born and West Ham fan Burgess and his team?