Liverpool 2-3 Fenerbahce: Set-Piece Errors End Perfect Champions League Start

Liverpool’s 100 per cent start in the Champions League is over, and there is no need to overcomplicate why. They were beaten 3-2 by Fenerbahce because they failed at the basics. Three set-pieces, three concessions, three warnings ignored.

Andoni Iraola rotated after the weekend loss to Arsenal, making five changes and giving Bradley Barcola the central attacking role from the start. For a while, it looked sensible. Liverpool began well, moved the ball with purpose and went ahead through Trey Nyoni, whose volley took a deflection off Kojo Peprah Oppong and wrong-footed Ederson. It was Nyoni’s first senior goal for the club and a deserved reward for an energetic opening.

Then came the sloppiness. Fenerbahce levelled through Mason Greenwood, his free-kick clipping Jeremy Jacquet on its way past Alisson. Another set-piece, another avoidable moment, another reminder that control means very little if you switch off when the ball stops moving.

Photo: IMAGO

Champions League control thrown away

Liverpool still had enough quality to reclaim the lead. Iraola sent on Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo after the break, and the impact was immediate. Gakpo and Isak combined neatly, and the Sweden forward headed home to make it 2-1. At that point, Liverpool had the game where they wanted it.

They did not keep it there. Four minutes later, Archie Brown restored parity for Fenerbahce, reacting sharply after pressure from another dead-ball situation. Late on, Vedat Muriqi completed the turnaround, rising to head in Brown’s delivery. Three Liverpool defenders were nearby, none dealt with it.

That is the part Iraola will focus on, because he already said as much. “The main reason I can find to lose the game is we conceded [from] three set-pieces. It’s something that we were doing very well in the league, I think we were dealing [with it] quite well until today.

“We knew it was one of the strengths of Fenerbahce but we concede from a free-kick, from a corner, even from the long throw at the end.

“They are goals that have hurt us because we have twice gone in front after having good moments, controlling the game, arriving.

“We found the goals. But after, we conceded in situations that we definitely should defend better. It’s frustration, because it’s a difficult place to come here and to play and we were for the most part of the game thinking, ‘OK, we can win this one.’

“But obviously it hasn’t happened. We have conceded, especially the first goal and the third goal – the second one is a rebound – but the wall, I don’t think we set it properly and the last one Muriqi jumps and wins the ball against three of our defenders, it’s something that definitely we have to defend better.”

Fenerbahce comeback leaves Liverpool with work to do

There is context here. Fenerbahce, under interim boss Dirk Kuyt before Emre Belozoglu’s arrival, made the occasion uncomfortable and physical, exactly as expected. Liverpool also still have nine points from four matches in the league phase, which is hardly a crisis.

But the pattern matters. They have now lost six straight away games against Turkish opposition. More importantly, this was a match they led twice and still lost because they could not defend routine situations. In the Champions League, that gets exposed quickly.