Liverpool suffered their second successive defeat Turkish side Galatasaray inflicted a Champions League defeat on them thanks Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen. Their head coach Arne Slot left Mohamed Salah on the bench after Liverpool lost at Crystal Palace, but the Premier League champions failed to fire amid a constant cacophony of noise at RAMS Park.
To add to Liverpool’s misery, their goalkeeper Alisson went off injured in the second half after pulling off a superb save from Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen. Osimhen gave Galatasaray the lead after 16 minutes when French referee Clement Turpin adjudged that Dominik Szoboszlai had fouled Baris Alper Yilmaz.
The goal came just 17 seconds after Davinson Sanchez had cleared off the line from Cody Gakpo. Arne Slot introduced Salah and Alexander Isak just after the hour in an attempt to salvage something but it was to no avail. Liverpool thought they would get the chance to rescue a point when referee Turpin pointed to the spot after Ibrahima Konate went down, but the decision was overturned.
Slot’s side were were exposed at the back, with keeper Alisson their saviour as Yilmaz was able to race clear on goal even before Galatasary went ahead from the spot early on. The Liverpool currently have a soft underbelly that has been a feature of their season so far, with several of their expensive stars struggling to make an impact, despite the fact they still stand top of the Premier League.
It took a stoppage time goal from Virgil van Dijk to win their opening Champions League game against Atletico Madrid at Anfield and, while there is no cause for concern yet about their campaign, the simple truth is that performances must improve.
