Fenerbahce twice came from behind against Liverpool to claim an impressive 3-2 win in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), putting an end to the Reds’ 100 per cent record in this season’s competition.
With the rain bucketing down, Liverpool almost fashioned an early opener through two major miscues, as first Victor Munoz and then Bradley Barcola sliced at the ball.
The inadvertent exchange of passes teed up the Spaniard, who gave Ederson his first test at the near post.
Andoni Iraola’s side continued to do the majority of the probing, and Barcola was inches away from getting on the end of an excellent delivery from Joe Gomez.
After surviving a penalty scare at one end when Kostas Tsimikas challenged Mason Greenwood, Trey Nyoni volleyed in the opener, wrong-footing Ederson to score his first senior goal.
Fenerbahce almost mustered an instant response, but Irfan Kahveci could only rattle the crossbar as he flew onto the end of a dangerous cross.
Yet the reprieve did not last long, as Jeremy Jacquet turned away in the Liverpool wall, deflecting Greenwood’s tame free-kick beyond a furious Alisson.
That led to a spell of pressure from the hosts, and Greenwood forced a good save from the goalkeeper shortly before the break.
The Reds began to reassert themselves in the second half, and Ederson had to get down sharply to stop Barcola’s effort from creeping in, before he was called into action again to deny Virgil van Dijk from the resulting corner.
Munoz then went close, cutting onto his left foot and forcing a good block from Milan Skriniar.
Iraola turned to his expensive bench in search of the go-ahead goal, and it quickly made the difference, as Cody Gakpo crossed for Alexander Isak to head home his first UCL goal for Liverpool with his first touch.
However, Liverpool’s new-look side fell into the same trap as before, and the Yellow Canaries found another rapid equaliser. Gakpo inadvertently flicked on the home side’s corner, leaving Archie Brown the simplest of tap-ins at the far post.
And it was the Fenerbahce bench that eventually made the telling difference, as substitute Vedat Muriqi towered above Jacquet to head the ball beyond Alisson.
Manager Dirk Kuyt will be delighted with the win against his old club, which ends a record-breaking 10-game winless streak in this competition (D4, L6).
Meanwhile, Liverpool have extended a hapless run of form on their visits to Turkey, where they are yet to win in seven visits as an away side in the UCL (D1, L6), despite enjoying a rather memorable night in Istanbul 21 years ago.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Archie Brown (Fenerbahce)
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