A difficult night in the Champions League for Liverpool was compounded by a tongue-in-cheek social media post from Galatasaray, using the Reds' famous anthem You'll Never Walk Alone against them. Arne Slot's side lost 1-0 on the evening, making it back-to-back defeats following the 2-1 reversal at Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.
AFPSlot shot down in Istanbul
Galatasaray defeated Liverpool 1-0 courtesy of a Victor Osimhen penalty in the 16th minute after Dominik Szoboszlai fouled Baris Yilmaz. Liverpool boss Slot made several changes to his starting line-up, dropping Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak to the bench, and struggled to break down Galatasaray's well-organised defence. Despite dominating possession, Liverpool failed to convert their chances with Gala goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir making crucial saves, including from Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz efforts. Liverpool's frustrations were compounded by injuries to goalkeeper Alisson and striker Hugo Ekitike, forcing them to be substituted in the second half. A late penalty awarded to Liverpool for a foul on Ibrahima Konate was overturned by VAR, confirming the home side's victory.
AdvertisementGala take swipe at Reds
After the match, a Gala post on their official English X account said: "You'll never walk alone, but sometimes you walk out without points."
Slot disappointed by referee performance
Slot pointed the finger firmly at referee Clement Turpin for his side's defeat, suggesting the two major decisions in the match were incorrect. Slot said: "I haven’t seen it back but there was no contact with the feet. The last few weeks I am talking quite a lot about how we are a very fair team and maybe their player was really smart, he felt something and made it feel as if it is an unbelievable hit. The referee thought he could not overturn it, though he did in the last minute when we got one. For me, it was a different loss to the one we had against Palace because there was a lot more to like, especially in the first half. In the second half it became harder and harder for us to create because first of all they were fighting with all they had and you have to give credit to them, and secondly the ball was hardly in play in the second half."
Getty Images SportMassive fixtures coming for Reds
It’s not quite a wobble for Arne Slot and Liverpool just yet, but questions will be asked if performances don’t improve. The club invested heavily in the summer after landing the Premier League title and face a crucial period in the coming weeks, starting with a trip to Chelsea this weekend. There’s the small matter of Manchester United at Anfield after the upcoming international break, with Liverpool's next Champions League outing against Eintracht Frankfurt pencilled in for October 22. The Reds will host Brentford in the league three days later before attention turns to a round of 16 Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace.