Aldridge fumes at referee after Liverpool’s Champions League loss in Istanbul | OneFootball

Liverpool’s second successive defeat left many scratching their heads in Istanbul, with John Aldridge voicing frustration at both the performance and the officiating after our Champions League setback against Galatasaray.

Aldridge questions referee after Liverpool collapse in Istanbul

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Speaking on X, the ex-Red didn’t hold back. “What a hard watch that was!! Disjointed to say the least.

“There should have been 20 mins injury time! But the way we’re playing we still wouldn’t have equalised.

“To make it worse Alisson and Ekitike looked like bad injuries 😩,” he wrote.

It was a night where the referee’s constant interruptions disrupted any rhythm.

The Turkish side committed 12 fouls to our 14, yet many of these were soft and Clement Turpin’s whistle never seemed to stop (via SofaScore).

For context, our last European clash with Atletico saw just 16 fouls across the whole match – nine against them, seven against us – a reminder of how stop-start this latest tie became (via SofaScore).

The disruption left Arne Slot’s men unable to find their stride in the second half, even with Mo Salah and Alexander Isak introduced from the bench.

Florian Wirtz once again struggled to influence proceedings, Jamie Carragher has even called for the midfielder to be taken out of the side.

Injuries to Alisson and Ekitike deepen concerns for Liverpool

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

As if the defeat wasn’t damaging enough, two fresh concerns emerged.

Alisson Becker limped off in the second half after a superb stop to deny Victor Osimhen, while summer signing Hugo Ekitike also departed injured.

Both will be assessed in the coming days, but their potential absence is a huge blow ahead of our trip to Chelsea on Saturday.

BBC Sport’s match ratings underlined the mood, with Alisson top-scoring on 5.67, while high-profile arrivals like Frimpong (3.52) and Wirtz (3.34) came in among the lowest.

Aldridge’s blunt reaction adds to growing scrutiny around Liverpool’s balance.

We remain top of the Premier League, but performances show the standard must rise if we are to challenge for honours again this season.

You can view Aldridge’s post via X:

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