ISTANBUL, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 4: Head coach Andoni Iraola of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Fenerbahce SK and Liverpool FC at Ulker Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on November 4, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola's applauds the Liverpool travelling supporters after they saw their side twice throw away a lead in losing 3-2 to Fenerbahce in Istanbul (Image: BSR Agency/Getty Images)
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If the first two campaigns of the revamped Champions League are anything to go by, this defeat at Fenerbahce is only likely to be cosmetic damage for Liverpool.
Reverses at Galatasaray and PSV in the last two terms haven’t been enough to derail progress to the knockout stages. So what should alarm Andoni Iraola most about this 3-2 loss is the manner of the collapse.
After substitute Alexander Isak had nodded the Reds into the lead with his first touch, that should have been enough for this team to shut up shop against a Fenerbahce side full of players whose best days are largely confined to a different era of the Premier League.
Instead, Iraola’s men had their senses scrambled by the Istanbul din. Liverpool fans of a certain vintage understand the reference of 'six crazy minutes', when their three-goal deficit to AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final was wiped out in remarkable fashion in the Ataturk Stadium. This, however, was a different kind of six crazy Istanbul minutes.
Archie Brown profited from a mix-up between Alisson Becker and Cody Gakpo to make it 2-2 and, you guessed it, six minutes later, the comeback was complete. Vedat Muriqi headed home to give the Turkish Super Lig side a famous win on their first Champions League campaign for nearly two decades.
"It's a very special night for everyone who loves Fenerbahce," said interim coach Dirk Kuyt, who scored for the Reds the last time they beat a Turkish team away from home, against Trabzonspor in 2010.
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"I have to give a very big compliment to the players and the staff who keep pushing them. We told each other to stick together and be united. That’s something I learned from Liverpool, who we played against. We made a miracle tonight, not many expected us to win."
The defeat is unlikely to be too detrimental to the Reds' hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages having previously won the first three fixtures against Atletico Madrid, LASK and Villarreal, but they have now suffered back-to-back defeats and their mental fragility has to be a concern.
Victor Munoz had a great chance within three minutes but the restored winger scuffed his shot and the ineffective Bradley Barcola, playing in the unfamiliar No.9 role, was unable to pounce.
Barcola was trialled as a centre-forward and it was an experiment that simply didn’t work. Even when he shuffled to a more familiar wide position later on, he was still ineffective. It’s early days but the £123m forward simply has to do more.
Joe Gomez, who replaced Ronald Araujo at right-back as one of five changes, sent in a teasing delivery for Barcola to attack but the France international couldn't provide the decisive touch.
Aged 19 years and 127 days, Trey Nyoni then became the youngest player to score his first goal for the club in Europe when his volley from a half-cleared cross deflected past former Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.
It was a wonderful moment for the teenager, whose growing importance within this squad is set to be rewarded with a new contract at Anfield. Negotiations are understood to be at an advanced stage.
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 04: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Trey Nyoni of Liverpool scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4 match between Fenerbahce SK and Liverpool FC at Fenerbahce Sükrü Saracoglu Spor Kompleksi on November 04, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Trey Nyoni volleys Liverpool into the lead against Fenerbahce (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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If Nyoni's effort took a nick, Fenerbahce's equaliser arrived via a much more obvious deflection and goalkeeper Alisson was furious with Jeremy Jacquet for turning his back on Mason Greenwood's effort. It left the Brazil shot-stopper wrong-footed and gave the hosts parity.
Energised by the goal, Fener finished the half as the stronger side, and Greenwood went close with two more opportunities, the second required a smart save from Alisson.
Virgil van Dijk's header was saved by Ederson after the break before the outstanding Rio Ngumoha committed several men with a trademark dribble before finding Munoz, whose shot was cleared for a corner. Ngumoha's subbing saw Liverpool lose plenty of impetus and drive in wide areas.
After a surge of optimism brought on by a five-game winning sequence, it's been a bruising few days for the Reds. A third successive defeat, at Crystal Palace on Sunday, would send them into the international break at a low ebb ahead of the typically hectic mid-November-to-late-December period when the ambitions of the season start to take real shape.
The opportunity to give Iraola's big guns a breather when they make the trip to Brugge later this month has also taken a hit now. Victory here would have left the head coach ideally poised to ring the changes in Belgium, which comes in between games against Manchester United and Everton.
For a side still searching for a major result to get them motoring, that is a blow and taking any more calculated risks with team selection in this competition is now a considerably bigger gamble on the back of this defeat.
One loss in the Champions League is hardly fatal but Iraola cannot make a habit of it. The manager has got to get him back on track because he’s got the quality, we all know that.
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