THE wheels haven’t come off the Liverpool chariot yet… but they’re starting to wobble.
In the city that saw their greatest triumph, this was an Istanbul “Hell” of Liverpool’s own devising.
And Arne Slot will surely be left ruing his decision to leave Mo Salah and Alexander Isak on the bench until time started running out at Galatasaray.
It’s now two defeats in four days after their added-time loss at Crystal Palace.
This one was just as bad and potentially more costly with Alisson forced off and a major doubt for Saturday’s game at Chelsea.
Another game in which Liverpool’s defensive frailties, and their struggles to get a half-decent tune out of that expensively assembled squad, were evident for all to see.
After six wins to start the season, reality downed once again by the Bosphorus, with Dominik Szoboszlai just one of the Liverpool players enduring a night they will not want to remember..
Masked marauder Victor Osimhen’s first half penalty was the decisive moment but Slot will not pretend that his side were the victims of a robbery.
Sloppy from the start, far too easily exposed out wide and not offering anything like enough going forward.
Slot won the title last year by tweaking Jurgen Klopp’s side.
This squad has his £450million summer spend hallmark all over it.
But Isak lacks fitness, Florian Wirtz is suffering from the weight of expectations, Salah is not yet his normal effervescent self and Hugo Etitike looks somewhat uncertain.
It all added up to three points dropped and deservedly so. No late rescue act this time.
Omitting both Salah and Isak against a team with five Premier League has-beens, including former Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, backfired from the start.
They had not won a Champions League tie at home since 2018 and had failed to keep a clean sheet in over 20 European games dating back to March 2022, a goalless draw against Barcelona.
It was also the first time Liverpool failed to score in a Champions League group/league phase game since November 2020.
Instead, it was a shambles from early on.
Szobozslai, once again at right-back, escaped when he let Baris Alper Yilmaz run in behind him in only the second minute.
But there was no such relief when the Hungarian made another blunder just seconds after Liverpool should have taken the lead.
Perhaps Szoboszlai was among those wondering how neither Etitike, played in on goal, or Cody Gakpo, whose follow-up was cleared off the line by left-back Ismael Jakoba, had failed to hit the net.
Nevertheless, he was exposed as Yilmaz made a committed run, Szoboszlai bizarrely twisting himself into a shocking position and then smacking the Galatasaray man in the chops with a trailing, flailing arm.
Osimhen made him pay by smashing the spot kick down the middle, sparking utter bedlam inside Ram’s Park, a seething hub of passion.
It meant Liverpool had to be more poised, especially with Galatasaray happy to cede possession and then press with intensity to try to force errors.
There were moments from the Prem champions, but too few, the critical passes not made with conviction.
Wirtz forced a sprawling save from Ugurcan Cakir before a goalmouth scramble ended with Etitike crowded out.
Then Ibrahima Konate – a walking bag of nerves defensively but up for the set-piece – headed a near-post corner wide. He should have done better.
Liverpool were being caught in the Galatasaray trap, vulnerable out wide, slovenly on the ball, allowing the home side to feed off their insecurities.
Jeremie Frimpong, playing in the “Salah” role on the right, teed up Ekitike for a back-heel that was kept out at the start of the second period as Liverpool tried to impose themselves.
Yet Konate’s horrible pass let in Osimhen, Alisson so brave to come out at the Nigerian’s feet but at the cost of a knock that forced him off, with Giorgi Mamardashvili on.
Salah, Isak and Conor Bradley arrived just after the hour, with Etitike moving left, before he later also went off injured, replaced by Alexis Mac Allister.
Isak did have a sight of goal but the Swede shot too close to Cakir before referee Clement Turpin appeared to hand them a lifeline as Konate went down in the box.
But the VAR rightly intervened, spotting that Wilfrid Singo played the ball, not the Liverpool defender.
No salvation. And they didn’t deserve one either.
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