Liverpool have suffered a painful 3-2 defeat against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League, throwing away the lead twice before conceding a late winner in Istanbul.
It was a night that promised plenty for Andoni Iraola’s side. Trey Nyoni scored his first senior goal for the club, Alexander Isak came off the bench to put Liverpool ahead again, and the Reds enjoyed long spells of possession.
But none of that was enough.
Defensive mistakes and a failure to deal with Fenerbahçe’s attacking threat proved costly, as Liverpool’s perfect Champions League record came to an end.
And there will be plenty for Iraola to think about after this one.
Nyoni gives Liverpool the perfect start
Iraola made five changes to the side that lost against Arsenal, with Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas coming into defence, while Trey Nyoni, Víctor Muñoz and Rio Ngumoha were also handed starting opportunities.
Liverpool started brightly and looked comfortable in possession, although Fenerbahçe threatened on the counter-attack.
The breakthrough arrived in the 25th minute, and it was a special moment for Nyoni.
Dominik Szoboszlai delivered a dangerous ball into the box, and after Fenerbahçe failed to clear their lines, the young midfielder struck towards goal. His effort took a deflection before finding the back of the net.
It was Nyoni’s first senior goal for Liverpool, and a fantastic reward for a youngster who has been making encouraging progress under Iraola.
Unfortunately, Liverpool’s lead lasted only four minutes.
Greenwood brings Fenerbahçe level
Fenerbahçe were awarded a free-kick, and Mason Greenwood stepped up to take responsibility.
His effort struck Jérémy Jacquet in the Liverpool wall, changing direction and leaving Alisson with little chance of keeping it out.
It was a frustrating equaliser for Liverpool, particularly after the work they had done to take the lead.
The hosts grew in confidence, with Greenwood continuing to cause problems. Alisson was called upon to make an important save before half-time, while Fenerbahçe had already come close through a header that struck the crossbar.
Liverpool went into the break at 1-1, knowing they had allowed their opponents back into the contest.
Isak restores Liverpool’s advantage
Liverpool made changes after the break, with Iraola turning to his bench for fresh attacking options.
Florian Wirtz, Isak and Cody Gakpo were introduced, and Isak wasted little time making an impact.
In the 69th minute, the Swedish striker found the net to put Liverpool 2-1 ahead.
It was exactly the sort of contribution Liverpool wanted from their £125m forward, and for a moment it looked as though the Reds had done enough to take control of the match.
But once again, their advantage disappeared almost immediately.
Two goals in six minutes turn the match around
Fenerbahçe refused to give up, and Archie Brown brought the home side level in the 73rd minute.
There was confusion in Liverpool’s defence, with Alisson and Gakpo unable to deal with the situation as Brown found the net.
That was a huge setback, but worse was to follow.
Just six minutes later, Brown delivered another dangerous ball into the Liverpool penalty area, and Vedat Muriqi rose to head home the winning goal.
Liverpool had gone from leading 2-1 to trailing 3-2 in the space of ten minutes.
The Reds tried to find a response, but Fenerbahçe defended their advantage and held on for a memorable victory.
Another worrying night for Liverpool’s defence
There is no getting away from the fact that Liverpool gave themselves a difficult evening.
Scoring twice away from home in the Champions League should normally give you a strong chance of taking something from the match.
But Liverpool failed to manage the important moments.
The equaliser from Greenwood was unfortunate because of the deflection, but the goals from Brown and Muriqi will concern Iraola. Liverpool looked vulnerable when Fenerbahçe put pressure on their back line, and the communication and defending for those goals simply were not good enough.
Jacquet will learn from difficult experiences like this, but Liverpool cannot afford to keep making mistakes that allow opponents back into matches.
The manager also needs to find a way of making this side more reliable when protecting a lead.
Nyoni gives Liverpool something positive to take away
Despite the disappointing result, there were positives.
Nyoni deserves enormous credit for his performance and his first senior Liverpool goal. He has been knocking on the door, and moments like this show why supporters are excited about his future.
Szoboszlai also brought energy and quality, while Isak demonstrated how quickly he can influence a game after coming off the bench.
However, individual positives cannot hide the bigger problem.
Liverpool need to become much more difficult to score against. The attacking quality is there, but it means very little if the team continues to give away goals at the other end.
My Verdict: Liverpool Have to Learn From This
I am disappointed with this result.
After the defeat against Arsenal, this was an opportunity for Liverpool to respond and restore some confidence. Instead, they have suffered another setback, and the manner of the defeat makes it even harder to accept.
Iraola deserves time to build his own team, and I am not going to judge his entire Liverpool career on one result. But there are clear issues that need addressing, particularly defensively.
Nyoni’s goal was a real highlight, and Isak showed his importance by making an immediate impact. But Liverpool cannot keep relying on their attacking players to bail them out.
You cannot expect to win Champions League matches when you concede three goals after taking the lead twice.
Final score: Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool.
The unbeaten European run is over, and Liverpool must respond quickly. There is plenty of work ahead for Iraola, because this team needs to show that it can defend properly as well as attack.
Jamie – (The Kopite View)
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