Fenerbahce secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on 4 November 2026. Liverpool twice took the lead but conceded three goals from set-pieces to suffer their second defeat in four days.
Trey Nyoni opened the scoring for Liverpool with his first goal for the club, only for Mason Greenwood to level with a deflected free-kick four minutes later. Alexander Isak restored Liverpool's advantage in the 69th minute, but the hosts responded swiftly. Archie Brown equalised in the 75th minute after Cody Gakpo's header deflected past Alisson, and Vedat Muriqi headed the winner from a long throw six minutes later.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola described the conceded goals as "cheap" and "messy", highlighting communication difficulties in the noisy stadium. "It's a free-kick, quite far also and it's through the wall," he said. "Mistakes can cost you."
Interim Fenerbahce boss Dirk Kuyt, a former Liverpool player, said he had urged his side to adopt the never-say-die spirit associated with Liverpool's European history. "We showed Europe how big Fenerbahce is," Kuyt said. "This is the first time in 18 years Fenerbahce have beaten an English side." Kuyt will now step aside for Emre Belozoglu to take over as head coach.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock criticised the visitors' defensive frailties, noting a repetitive pattern of conceding from simple situations. "When you go ahead twice away from home in the Champions League, you have to see it out," Warnock said.
The defeat ends a five-match winning run for Liverpool, who also lost to Arsenal days earlier. Fenerbahce, despite a difficult domestic season that includes four league defeats and a 6-0 loss at Aston Villa, produced a performance that will live long in the memory of their supporters.
