Galatasaray’s one-goal lead over Liverpool came courtesy of a familiar foe who delivered a similarly crushing blow to Jurgen Klopp back in 2021.
Mario Lemina spent six seasons in the Premier League with Southampton, Fulham and Wolves.
During that time, he consistently showed up against the Reds. So much so that Liverpool considered a Lemina transfer when they were looking to replace Fabinho.
Is it time for Liverpool to move on from Ibrahima Konate?
Would you be too disappointed to see him leave this summer?
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool FC looks on after the match with Galatasaray
Credit: Burak Basturk/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
Tuesday night in Istanbul wasn’t the first time the Gabon international added insult to injury for a struggling Liverpool manager — he did the same to Klopp to put an exclamation mark on one of the worst runs of form in the German’s tenure.
Mario Lemina deja vu for Liverpool as Galtasaray star repeats Fulham feat
Lemina was in the right place at the right time to nod home from point-blank range after a corner wasn’t dealt with.
The goal could be huge for the outcome of this Champions League tie, and the loss has put Arne Slot under pressure at Liverpool again.
It’s another bad result in a season where Liverpool were expected to dominate after winning the title just a few months ago. Similar to the 2020/21 campaign, when the Reds were coming off their first league win in over 30 years.
Mario Lemina scores for Fulham vs Liverpool
Photo by Phil Noble – Pool/Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
That season, the defence of the title was over before it even began, and the legendary Klopp was in the throes of a five-game losing streak at Anfield — unheard of.
Fulham came to town hoping to extend the streak and to boost their own survival chances, and that’s exactly what they did. Lemina fired the visitors ahead on the stroke of halftime, and that lead stood for the rest of the afternoon.
Liverpool 2021 vs Liverpool 2026
The parallels between Klopp’s 2021 season and Slot’s 2026 season make themselves — two torrid excuses for a title defence.
The difference is that while Slot’s side has been fully revamped, Klopp made few changes to his squad, with just Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota as high-profile signings.
Liverpool did pull it back somewhat, finishing third after a tense race with Chelsea, Leicester and West Ham behind. It was a mad season. It’s the season when Chelsea won the Champions League by beating Man City in the final.
Who was Liverpool’s worst player vs Galatasaray? 😬
Ibrahima Konate during Galatasaray AS v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg. Mohamed Salah pictured during Galatasaray v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League.
Credit: Liverpool FC/Cem Hasret Tekkesinoglu/Anadolu/Getty Images
As it pertains to this season, it proves that a slump like the one Klopp had, or the one Slot had earlier this season, is surmountable. Who knows, maybe it could be Liverpool who sneak to Champions League glory this time around.
And we’d certainly take third in the league.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox