Liverpool’s aura of control slipping after defeat in hostile Istanbul | OneFootball

Liverpool could not stop the slide in Istanbul as Galatasaray handed them a second successive defeat that underlined how poor performances are beginning to catch up with Arne Slot’s side.

The Premier League champions may still sit at the top of the table, but the aura of control they carried last season is slipping. This was another game where they looked short of conviction, soft at the back, and blunt in attack.

Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty was enough to decide the contest, but the margin could have been heavier. The Nigerian striker wasted two clear chances early in the second half and was a menace throughout until he limped off. Liverpool were fortunate the score remained narrow.

Slot left Mohamed Salah on the bench again, a decision that raised eyebrows and ultimately backfired. Salah’s introduction just after the hour alongside Alexander Isak gave the visitors more direction, yet it was too little too late. Liverpool never truly carved Galatasaray open.

There was further frustration when Ibrahima Konaté won a late penalty only for French referee Clément Turpin to overturn the decision after a VAR check. It summed up Liverpool’s night: moments of hope quickly extinguished.

The atmosphere at RAMS Park was ferocious from long before kick-off. Deafening whistles met every Liverpool touch, and the home players fed off the energy.

Galatasaray had won only one of their previous 18 Champions League group matches, but they tore into this game as if determined to erase that record.

Liverpool looked fragile under pressure. Dominik Szoboszlai, deployed awkwardly at right-back, was exposed by Barış Alper Yılmaz’s pace. Florian Wirtz, Liverpool’s £116m summer signing, was ineffective again. The balance of the team felt wrong, and the defending was ragged.

Even Alisson, who stood tall early on to keep the score down, ended the night on the sidelines after taking a knock. His replacement Giorgi Mamardashvili was barely tested, a reflection of Liverpool’s lack of edge in attack.

This defeat followed Saturday’s league loss at Crystal Palace, making it back-to-back setbacks for the champions. Slot insisted upon arrival that Liverpool would need time to adapt, but the patience of supporters will be tested if standards continue to slip.

For now they remain contenders, but their rivals will sense weakness. Two defeats in quick succession are not yet a crisis, but the warning signs are flashing.

Liverpool’s season may depend on whether Slot can steady them before the slump becomes something more serious.