Reigning Premier League champions and league leaders may be held to higher standards but concerns grow for Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s side suffered back-to-back defeats after falling to Galatasaray in Istanbul, the Turkish capital on Tuesday night, 30 September.
Their performance may trouble Liverpool’s head coach greater than the result.
Liverpool were short on ideas and again suspect defensively as they were beaten by Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty.
Defeat could have been heavier had the Galatasaray striker not squandered two clear openings early in the second half and it needed the 62nd minute introduction of Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak to inject direction into the Liverpool attack.
The visitors were almost reprieved by the award of an 89th minute penalty for a suspected foul on Ibrahima Konaté but even that did not go their way.
Referee Clément Turpin overturned his decision after being sent to the pitch-side monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR).
Despite a quiet start to the season by his standards, and the opportunity for more rotation from Slot following a summer of heavy investment, the absence of Salah from a Liverpool starting lineup still contains the capacity to surprise.
Salah, two goals shy of recording 250 for the club in all competitions, was on the bench alongside Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley as Slot made four changes from the side that suffered a first league defeat of the season at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Jeremie Frimpong took Salah’s place with Dominik Szoboszlai stationed behind him at right-back again. The Hungary midfielder was in for a testing night against the pace of Baris Alper Yilmaz.
The same could be said of the entire Liverpool team in the first half as Galatasaray embraced the occasion.
Rams Park, or Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi to give Galatasaray’s home their unsponsored name, pulsated with noise 45 minutes before kick-off.
Incessant, deafening whistles greeted every Liverpool touch after it. There was also a classy moment at kick-off when a tribute to Diogo Jota was displayed on the giant screen and around the digital hoardings inside the arena.
Okan Buruk’s team have made a 100% start to the Turkish domestic Super Lig season as they pursue a fourth consecutive Turkish league title but domestic dominance has not transferred into European competition.
Galatasaray had won only one of their last 18 Champions League group games prior to Liverpool’s visit and none of their last seven European ties, a sorry sequence that included a 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt in the opening game of this league phase.
From the backing of an impassioned crowd to the wild commitment of their players, the champions of Turkey were determined to make amends.
Yilmaz scorched past Szoboszlai at Galatasaray’s first genuine attack. The forward was through on goal but, as at Selhurst Park, Alisson stood his ground well to make an important block with his feet.
There would be no reprieve for Liverpool’s makeshift full-back when Yilmaz next had a run at him.
Hugo Ekitiké steered a free header wide from Cody Gakpo’s cross as the visitors attempted to silence the din.
Gakpo created another opening for Ekitiké when slipping him through with a neat pass. Ugurcan Cakir, like Alisson before him, stood tall and saved with his legs only for the rebound to fall to Gakpo.
His volley was blocked on the line by Ismail Jakobs and 25 seconds later, after Florian Wirtz had squandered possession in the home penalty area with an over-elaborate back-heel, Galatasaray were awarded a penalty.
The hosts broke through Ilkay Gündogan and Yilmaz, who again attacked Szoboszlai from the left and cut back inside the defender before collapsing to the ground.
Yilmaz had been caught in the face by Szoboszlai’s trailing hand – it was more of a stroke of the stubble than a proper slap – but the referee Clément Turpin immediately pointed to the spot.
Osimhen drilled the spot kick straight down the centre of Alisson’s goal.
Liverpool dominated possession and outnumbered the Galatasaray defence on several counterattacks without turning promise into genuine opportunity.
Cakir saved from Wirtz at close range, desperate defending prevented Ekitiké and Milos Kerkez converting at the resulting corner and Konaté put a free header wide at the near post.
But Slot’s side were unconvincing at the back and almost punished again when Osimhen dispossessed Ryan Gravenberch before being tripped by the midfielder just outside the Liverpool area. The £65m striker felt he was denied a clear goalscoring opportunity but Gravenberch was punished with a yellow card.
Osimhen, a disruptive force all night, was gifted a chance to double the hosts’ lead by a mix-up between Konaté and Gravenberch. His tame shot was easily gathered by Alisson, but the Liverpool keeper was injured in the process and had to be replaced by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Alisson’s replacement was not troubled once Osimhen departed injury. Neither was Cakir, however, despite Liverpool penning Galatasaray in during the closing stages.
Mbappé Bags Hat-trick As Real Madrid Thrash Kairat Almaty
Kylian Mbappé’s fourth Champions League hat-trick helped Real Madrid bounce back from their weekend derby thrashing with a 5-0 win away to Kairat.
Xabi Alonso’s side were humbled 5-2 defeat at Atlético Madrid on Sunday and then had to make a 13-hour trip to Kazakhstan.
Alonso made a raft of changes but kept Mbappé as the focal point of the attack and the France forward responded with a first-half penalty and two superb finishes after the break before substitutes Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Díaz netted late on as Madrid made it two wins from two in Europe.
Vinícius Júnior took the armband in the absence of the injured Dani Carvajal and should have opened the scoring in the 14th minute but chipped wide.
Arda Güler went close next with a shot deflected wide before Mbappé’s curler was well saved by Sherkhan Kalmurza in the Kairat goal.
Kalmurza was involved again soon after, but for the wrong reasons as he reacted naively to Egor Sorokin’s poor back header and wiped out Franco Mastantuono inside the penalty area.
It gave Mbappé the chance to score his third consecutive penalty in the competition — he converted two spot-kicks in Madrid’s opener against Marseille — and he duly dispatched from 12 yards to make it 1-0 after 25 minutes.
Guler tested Kalmurza again soon after with a long-range effort which was spilled before Mastantuono sent an effort narrowly off target via the slightest deflection.
Kairat ended the half with some attacking intent, but Valeri Gromyko wasted a promising position with a wayward shot from outside the area seven minutes before the break.
Alonso would have hoped for a second goal soon after the break and it arrived in the 52nd minute through Mbappé, who produced a wonderful chipped finish after Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s long kick.
The Kazakhstan minnows responded strongly with a free-kick curled wide by Chelsea-bound 18-year-old Dastan Satpayev before Ofri Arad went even closer with a fine effort.
Mbappé then squandered a golden chance when he exchanged passes with Vinicius Jr before inexplicably sending his side-footed finish the wrong side of a post from 10 yards.
The buoyant Kairat crowd thought they had a moment to savour in the 68th minute when Dani Ceballos appeared to bring down Gromyko, but replays showed the home midfielder had invited the contact and the decision was overturned following a VAR review.
Courtois had been called into action by a superb volley by Luis Mata moments earlier, but with 17 minutes left, Mbappe did complete his treble.
Substitute Rodrygo was the catalyst with a dazzling run and Guler flicked the ball on to Mbappe, who found the corner first time for his 15th goal in all competitions.
There was still time for Camavinga to score only three minutes after his introduction in the 83rd minute, stooping low to head in Rodrygo’s cross, before Diaz fired into the bottom corner in stoppage time to wrap up the scoring in Almaty.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Osimhen celebrates after scoring the goal against Liverpool.
Tuesday’s Champions League Results From Across Europe
Atalanta – Club Brugge KV 2:1
Atl. Madrid – Eintracht Frankfurt 5:1
Bodo/Glimt – Tottenham 2:2
Chelsea – Benfica 1:0
Galatasaray – Liverpool 1:0
Inter – Slavia Prague 3:0
Marseille – Ajax 4:0
Pafos – Bayern Munich 1:5
