Liverpool's perfect Champions League campaign came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night, as a late collapse against Fenerbahce produced a chaotic 3-2 defeat in Istanbul. The result followed a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal, giving the Reds their first back-to-back defeats of the season.
Twice the visitors took the lead, and twice they let it slip. Trey Nyoni opened the scoring with his first senior goal, but Mason Greenwood's deflected free-kick levelled the match. Substitute Alexander Isak, making his European debut for Liverpool, struck just three minutes after coming on, only for late goals from Archie Brown and Vedat Muriqi to seal the turnaround.
Nyoni calls for consistency
Trey Nyoni may have marked his professional breakthrough with a goal, but the 19-year-old conceded that Liverpool must take heed from the defeat. The Reds have shown promise under Andoni Iraola, yet have shipped three goals across their last three European outings, a trend Nyoni believes must be addressed.
"We knew it was going to be a difficult night. Coming away to Turkey, it's hard, the environment we're in, the crowd, the atmosphere, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. We are disappointed," he said. "I think we had the game and then had lapses of concentration. All the goals we conceded, I said before the game football at this level is about fine margins. If you don't concentrate then you get punished."
"In the first half and second half we started really well, but the next step for us as a team is to be more consistent over the 90 and see out wins. It's another lesson that we need to build on."
Carragher questions spending
The defeat has also reignited debate over Liverpool's squad investment. Jamie Carragher, speaking on CBS Sports, questioned the club's expenditure given the emergence of Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha. The teenage pair have combined for 25 appearances across all competitions this season and have grown increasingly influential under Iraola.
"The squad Liverpool have got is very expensive but not as good as it should be and not as balanced as it should be," Carragher said. "What's a bit of a worry for the people who run the club is that Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha were the best players for Liverpool, and they were a week or so ago against Chelsea. But they also play in a position of players where Liverpool have spent big money."
He added: "Barcola's come in for £120m. He played up front tonight, didn't play well, but the younger players are playing better than him. With Trey Nyoni in midfield, Liverpool haven't spent expensively on a player as such, but they've given big contracts this summer to Ryan Gravenberch – who was left out at the weekend for Trey Nyoni – and Szoboszlai, who played tonight and didn't play particularly well."
"It doesn't matter the figures, but you can imagine the type of figures they will be on. When a young player in midfield is playing ahead of them, that causes a problem about where you've spent your money. You basically haven't spent your money well enough."
