Liverpool Led Twice in Istanbul and Lost Anyway

Liverpool arrived in Istanbul with the only perfect record left in the Champions League league phase. They left with their first defeat — beaten 3–2 by a Fenerbahçe side that had not won in the competition all season, after leading twice and giving both leads back inside four minutes. That it happened under the eye of Dirk Kuyt, the former Liverpool forward now in interim charge of Fenerbahçe, only sharpened the night for the visitors.

Andoni Iraola had made five changes to his side, with Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas coming into the defence and starts for Victor Munoz, Rio Ngumoha and Dominik Szoboszlai — and the rotated side started like the regular one. Munoz threatened down the right inside five minutes, Jeremy Jacquet headed a Szoboszlai cross the wrong side of the post, and Ngumoha kept finding room on the left, the club's official match report records.

The first lead belonged to a teenager. On 25 minutes a deep ball aimed for Virgil van Dijk was defended down into the area, and Trey Nyoni ran onto the loose ball and hit a deflected strike into the net. It was the 19-year-old's first senior professional goal — and, DAZN's report noted, it made him the youngest Liverpool player to open his account in this competition. This Is Anfield's ratings made him their man of the match, which tells you the defeat was not about him.

Fenerbahçe's answer took four minutes. Irfan Can Kahveci had already slid an effort onto the bar, and on 29 minutes Mason Greenwood's deflected free kick from around 20 yards wrongfooted Alisson Becker to level the match. Greenwood kept causing problems for the rest of the half, dragging one shot wide from a tight angle and forcing Alisson into another strong save before the break.

Liverpool dominated long stretches of the second half without finishing the job. Alexis Mac Allister's header was saved from a Tsimikas cross, Bradley Barcola's drive was pushed away by Ederson, Van Dijk saw a powerful header kept out from a corner, and Munoz had a shot cleared from underneath the posts. At the other end, substitute Vedat Muriqi's first action was to test Alisson from the edge of the area — a warning of what was coming.

Iraola's triple change on 66 minutes looked like the decisive move. Cody Gakpo broke down the left and stood up a cross, and Alexander Isak — on the pitch for three minutes — jumped highest in the six-yard box to nod it in with his first touch on 69 minutes. Liverpool were in front again, and this time they had their strongest side on the pitch to protect it.

The second lead lasted four minutes, too. Archie Brown sprinted in unmarked at the back post to fire home N'Golo Kanté's cross after a short corner on 73 minutes, and on 79 minutes Brown turned provider — Muriqi rose to meet the delivery with his head and found the bottom corner for Fenerbahçe's first lead of the night. It was the only one they needed. Liverpool chased half-chances through Gakpo and Isak in what remained and left beaten. The full match archive is in the Game Center.

The numbers underline how strange the night was: NBC Sports' recap records that Liverpool held 68 percent of the ball, out-attempted Fenerbahçe 22 to 17, and still lost the expected-goals battle 1.70 to 1.57 — leading for nine minutes in total across the whole match. Reuters puts the cost plainly: Liverpool drop to fifth on nine points, their winning start over, while Fenerbahçe's first victory of the campaign lifts them to 19th on five. More football coverage is on the Previously Sports front.

It was 1–1 at half time. Nyoni’s night ended at 85 minutes, substituted for Lewis Koumas with Liverpool chasing the game.