Fenerbahce came from behind to beat Liverpool 3-2 at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in the Champions League, handing Andoni Iraola’s side their first defeat in the competition. Liverpool had twice gone ahead, and their latest lead came when Alexander Isak nodded in after 69 minutes. Their collapse meant it was the latest they have ever gone ahead in a major European game and then lost.
Under interim boss Dirk Kuyt, a former Liverpool hero, the hosts produced a shock comeback amid a febrile atmosphere. Iraola’s players had been on course for a thoroughly impressive away win, but they capitulated after taking the lead.
Iraola described the goals they conceded as “cheap” and “messy”. Liverpool had won five games in a row before this match, but they have now lost twice in four days, having been beaten by Arsenal on Sunday.
Set-piece errors cost Liverpool
All three of Fenerbahce’s goals came from set-pieces. Mason Greenwood, the former Manchester United forward, benefited from a slice of luck when his free-kick deflected off Jeremy Jacquet in the first half to equalise. Liverpool then had only themselves to blame for the second equaliser. Cody Gakpo‘s header took the ball past Alisson, and Archie Brown tapped in to make it 2-2.
Six minutes later, Liverpool mishandled Brown’s looping ball into the box, and Vedat Muriqi beat three red shirts to head past Alisson for the winner.
“They are cheap goals. They are messy goals,” said Iraola. “It’s a free-kick. It’s quite far also and it’s through the wall.
“Mistakes can cost you. For the last goal, it’s a long throw and the first phase is controlled but after a very long ball, Muriqi wins it. The second goal, Cody is the one touching the ball just in front of Ali. In the stadium it was almost impossible to communicate because it was so noisy. It was even difficult for me to give any kind of instruction. I suppose the communication between Ali and Cody was difficult.”
Concern over Liverpool’s defending
Trey Nyoni gave Liverpool an early lead with his first goal for the club, but Greenwood levelled four minutes later. The most dramatic spell came between the 69th and 79th minutes, when Liverpool moved ahead again but could not see the game out.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock said the result felt like a step back after the improvements seen against Arsenal. “The simple mistakes that they made from set-pieces or simple balls into the box are not good enough,” he said. “The biggest issue is that this keeps on happening, with Liverpool looking like they can concede at any moment and being so open on the counter-attack.
“Liverpool don’t have the ability to do that at the moment, and that is what is really frustrating.”
Kuyt inspires a famous night
Kuyt, who joined Liverpool in 2006 and spent six years at Anfield, spoke passionately before the game about giving Fenerbahce the chance to show Europe their true colours. He had encouraged his players to embrace the never-say-die mindset that Liverpool have shown so often in Europe.
“We told each other to stick together and be united. That’s something I learned from Liverpool, who we played against,” Kuyt said. “We made a miracle tonight – not many expected us to win.”
Fenerbahce have had a difficult season, losing four of their first 10 league games and suffering a 6-0 defeat at Aston Villa. Kuyt is stepping aside, with former Newcastle player Emre Belozoglu taking over as head coach.
“We showed Europe how big Fenerbahce is. This is what the spirit of this side is,” said Kuyt. “I think it’s very special that for the first time since 18 years, Fenerbahce win a game against [an English side]. Some people will remember but the number on the back of my shirt was 18 in Liverpool. So that’s something really special for me.”
Brown, 24, a former Derby County prospect, scored a goal and provided an assist in the second half. “The Champions League is a great opportunity for Archie to show himself,” said Kuyt. “He did a fantastic job today. I’m very pleased with the performance of all my players. It’s a very special night for everyone who loves Fenerbahce.”