Fenerbahçe twice come from behind to beat Liverpool

Clément Turpin refereed. Dirk Kuijt's Fenerbahçe lined up four-three-three: Ederson in goal behind Nélson Semedo, Škriniar, Peprah Oppong and Brown, with Guendouzi, Yüksek and Kanté in midfield and Greenwood, Lukaku and Kahveci in attack. Andoni Iraola picked a four-two-three-one for Liverpool, with Alisson Becker behind Gomez, Jacquet, van Dijk and Tsimikas, Nyoni and Mac Allister sitting in front of them, and Víctor Muñoz, Szoboszlai and Ngumoha supporting Barcola. Škriniar and van Dijk wore the armbands.

Liverpool scored first. Nyoni's goal came in the 25th minute, the same minute Brown was booked, and the lead did not see the half-hour mark: Greenwood equalised in the 29th, and the first half ended 1-1.

Kuijt made the first change, Muriqi for Lukaku in the 63rd minute. Iraola made three changes in the 66th, Gakpo for Ngumoha, Isak for Víctor Muñoz and Wirtz for Gomez, taking a defender off for Wirtz. The changes paid out almost immediately. Gakpo supplied the 69th-minute goal and Isak scored it, two substitutes putting Liverpool back in front. The lead was short-lived. Brown scored in the 73rd. Kuijt made two more changes in the 75th, Aktürkoğlu for Kahveci and Müldür for Nélson Semedo, Iraola brought on Kerkez for Tsimikas in the 76th, and in the 79th Brown provided the assist for Muriqi, the substitute Kuijt had sent on first. Mac Allister was booked in the 85th, the minute Koumas replaced Nyoni, and Aydın came on for Greenwood in the 89th. Liverpool had no answer to the third.

The numbers describe two different matches. Liverpool had 68 per cent of the ball, 529 passes to 260, with a pass accuracy of 89.8 per cent against 71.5. They won 12 corners to four, sent in 42 crosses to Fenerbahçe's 10, and had 35 touches in the opposition box to 17. That is a visitor who has the run of the house. Fenerbahçe's reply was to keep shutting the front door: 31 clearances to Liverpool's 13, and 12 tackles won to four. Forty-two crosses is a lot of knocking on one door; 31 clearances is someone getting up to answer it.

The shooting was closer than the possession. Liverpool had 22 shots to 17, and both sides put six on target. Fenerbahçe tried their luck from distance more often, seven shots from outside the box to Liverpool's three, and still finished ahead on expected goals, 1.70 to 1.57. Fenerbahçe made four saves to Liverpool's three. Fewer shots, then, and the higher expected-goals total.

The form guide gave little sign of it. Before this game Fenerbahçe had lost to Göztepe and Galatasaray, drawn 2-2 with Slavia Prague, beaten Alanyaspor 3-0 and conceded six at Aston Villa. Liverpool's form guide listed a defeat by Arsenal, a League Cup draw with Chelsea and wins over Brighton & Hove Albion, Villarreal and Brentford. Liverpool's 42 crosses and 35 touches in the box are the figures of a side that had the territory. The scoreline is the only figure that goes in the table.

In the table as it stood at 20:22 on the night, with this match included, Liverpool were eighth on nine points from four games, level on points with Barcelona, Aston Villa, Como and Sporting CP. Fenerbahçe were 21st on five points, the same total as PSV in 20th, and the one win in their four games was this one.