The reigning Premier League champions, faced their second consecutive defeat after a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, followed by a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League at Rams Park in Istanbul. Liverpool coach Arne Slot made a bold decision to leave Mohamed Salah out of the starting lineup after the Palace loss, but it failed to pay off as Galatasaray mounted relentless pressure throughout the match.
The decisive moment came in the 16th minute when a penalty was awarded to Galatasaray after Dominik Szoboszlai fouled Baris Alper Yilmaz. Victor Osimhen confidently converted the spot-kick to give the Turkish side the lead. Earlier, Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo had a shot cleared off the line by Davinson Sanchez, narrowly missing an early breakthrough.
Galatasaray vs Liverpool (1-0)
Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson had to leave the game due to injury after a crucial save in the second half, with Giorgi Mamardashvili stepping in as his replacement. Despite introducing Salah and Alexander Isak in the 62nd minute to add impetus, Liverpool struggled to create clear chances and failed to find an equalizer.
In the dying moments, Liverpool thought they had earned a penalty after Ibrahima Konate went down in the box, but the referee reversed the decision after a VAR review showed the ball was touched first by the defender Wilfried Singo. This left Liver disappointed as they left the field without scoring, struggling to bounce back from recent setbacks amid a hostile and intense atmosphere in Istanbul.
