Liverpool was beaten 1-0 by Galatasaray in the first leg of its Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday as national media outlets in the United Kingom delivered scathing verdicts
Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Writer
09:56, 11 Mar 2026
Pressure on Arne Slot is building at Anfield
Pressure on Arne Slot is building at Anfield (Image: Getty Images)
A task remains.
Liverpool faces a battle to secure its spot in the Champions League quarterfinals after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the first leg of its round of 16 tie on Tuesday. Mario Lemina netted the decisive goal as the Reds squandered numerous opportunities and saw a goal controversially ruled out, marking their fourth loss in 11 matches. It proved an ultimately exasperating evening.
The two teams will meet again at Anfield in a week's time, with a place in the last eight on the line. While Liverpool.com delivered our standard comprehensive coverage, here's how the national press assessed a disappointing outcome for Arne Slot's team.
READ MORE: Florian Wirtz makes promise to Liverpool fans before Champions League second leg vs. GalatasarayREAD MORE: Arne Slot outlines VAR 'frustration' as Liverpool claim made after Galatasaray
Lewis Steele — Daily Mail
Steele wrote in the Daily Mail: "When the ears of Liverpool's players stop ringing after the dizzying noise of the most intimidating atmosphere many will experience, they might just hear a voice in their head telling them they got away with one.
"The English champions lost and have a sizable task to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg at Anfield next Wednesday – but their road to the quarterfinal could have been much tougher had Galatasaray put away a string of chances."
Steele added: "A sloppy Liverpool were lucky to not be punished further."
Jonathan Wilson — The Guardian
Wilson wrote in The Guardian: "The good news for Liverpool is that the situation is salvageable, when it really might not have been. The bad news is that they were distinctly second best for the first three-quarters of the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Galatasaray won on Tuesday
Galatasaray won on Tuesday(Image: Getty Images)
"Nobody who saw their second‐half collapse away against Juventus in the playoff round could be confident that Galatasaray are a team capable of squeezing the life out of the second leg. There is a nervousness about them at the back, a persistent sense of misfortune about to strike, but going forward they are breezy, quick and fun. And it will be a different game at Anfield."
Thom Gibbs — The Telegraph
Gibbs wrote in The Telegraph: "For nearly a decade Liverpool have leaned on Mohamed Salah when in need of inspiration, here he was hopelessly peripheral. He appears entirely unable to beat a full-back and it is striking to see such a potent player, fresh off a spectacular season, looking so diminished.
"Salah had more effective games when he played for Chelsea. He was substituted correctly after an hour for Jeremie Frimpong, signed to play at right-back.
"When Arne Slot dropped Salah in November it caused a diplomatic crisis on Merseyside, culminating in Salah saying he had been thrown under the bus. Performances like this are as helpful as comments like those, but he was hardly alone in under-delivering. It was a harrowing night in particular for Ibrahima Konate."
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Hamzah Khalique-Loonat — The Times
Khalique-Loonat wrote in The Times: "Liverpool are playing purgatorial football, and their fans are condemned to watching the same insipid game week after week. The only question is whether there will be some sort of salvation after all this.
"None looks forthcoming, not least because there were few, if any, redeeming features to this performance, beyond the single goal deficit that Liverpool must hope they can overturn in the second leg at Anfield.
"In hostile conditions, Liverpool wilted. They had chances, but the Champions League necessitates playing with grit or verve, and Arne Slot's team had neither."