Here we demonstrate complex transient behavior of viscoelastic liquid described numerically with the Leonov model in straight and contraction channel flow domains. Finite element and implicit Euler time integration methods are employed for spatial discretization and time marching. In order to stabilize the computational procedure, the tensor-logarithmic formulation of the constitutive equation with SUPG and DEVSS algorithms is implemented. For completeness of numerical formulation, the so called traction boundaries are assigned for flow inlet and outlet boundaries. At the inlet, finite traction force in the flow direction with stress free condition is allocated whereas the traction free boundary is assigned at the outlet. The numerical result has illustrated severe forward-backward fluctuations of overall flow rate in inertial straight channel flow ultimately followed by steady state of forward flow. When the flow reversal occurs, the flow patterns exhibit quite complicated time variation of streamlines. In the inertialess flow, it takes much more time to reach the steady state in the contraction flow than in the straight pipe flow. Even in the inertialess case during startup contraction flow, quite distinctly altering flow patterns with the lapse of time have been observed such as appearing and vanishing of lip vortices, coexistence of multiple vortices at the contraction corner and their merging into one.