Reigning Premier League champions and league leaders may be held to higher standards but concerns grow for Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side suffered back-to-back defeats after falling to Galatasaray in Istanbul. Their performance may trouble Liverpool’s head coach greater than the result.
Liverpool were short on ideas and again suspect defensively as they were beaten by Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty. Defeat could have been heavier had the Galatasaray striker not squandered two clear openings early in the second half and it needed the 62nd minute introduction of Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak to inject direction into the Liverpool attack. The visitors were almost reprieved by the award of an 89th minute penalty for a suspected foul on Ibrahima Konaté but even that did not go their way. Referee Clément Turpin overturned his decision after being sent to the pitch-side monitor by the video assistant referee.
Despite a quiet start to the season by his standards, and the opportunity for more rotation from Slot following a summer of heavy investment, the absence of Salah from a Liverpool starting lineup still contains the capacity to surprise. Salah, two goals shy of recording 250 for the club in all competitions, was on the bench alongside Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley as Slot made four changes from the side that suffered a first league defeat of the season at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
