Istanbul Set-Piece Collapse Handed Liverpool First European Defeat in 3-2 Loss
Liverpool’s perfect UEFA Champions League record came to an end on November 5, 2026, as three defensive breakdowns on set-pieces condemned Andoni Iraola’s side to a 3-2 defeat against Fenerbahce in Istanbul. Despite taking the lead twice across the ninety minutes, Liverpool failed to manage basic dead-ball situations, leaving them with nine points from four matches in the league phase.
Fenerbahce Capitalize on Liverpool Dead-Ball Frailties in Istanbul
Andoni Iraola altered his starting lineup after a domestic loss to Arsenal, making five changes and deploying Bradley Barcola in a central attacking role. The structural shift initially yielded clear movement through the central channels, allowing Liverpool to establish spatial control and open the scoring. Trey Nyoni registered his first senior goal for the club when a low volley struck Kojo Peprah Oppong and deflected past Ederson in the Fenerbahce goal.
Andoni Iraola
coachDefensive instability promptly erased that initial advantage when Mason Greenwood equalized from a direct free-kick, which clipped Jeremy Jacquet inside the defensive wall before beating Alisson. Liverpool restored momentum following second-half adjustments, with substitute Cody Gakpo creating space on the flank to supply Alexander Isak, who headed home to make it 2-1. However, structural gaps during restarts allowed Fenerbahce to answer four minutes later, as Archie Brown pounced inside the penalty area following secondary pressure from a corner kick.
The decisive goal arrived late in the contest through another unhandled dead-ball delivery. Brown lifted a deep cross toward the far post, where Vedat Muriqi elevated over three surrounding defenders to convert a header past Alisson and seal the turnaround for the hosts.
Fenerbahce
club“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.”
| Player / Manager | Match Rating |
|---|---|
| Trey Nyoni | 7/10 |
| Cody Gakpo | 7/10 |
| Alexander Isak | 7/10 |
| Conor Bradley | 6/10 |
| Wataru Endo | 6/10 |
| Florian Wirtz | 6/10 |
| Bradley Barcola | 6/10 |
| Federico Chiesa | 6/10 |
| Alisson | 5/10 |
| Jeremy Jacquet | 5/10 |
| Jarell Quansah | 5/10 |
| Kostas Tsimikas | 5/10 |
| Andoni Iraola | 5/10 |
The result leaves Liverpool on nine points out of a possible twelve in the UEFA Champions League standings after four fixtures.