Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool: Muriqi header wins it for Kuyt
Fenerbahçe beat Liverpool 3-2 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul on Wednesday 4 November 2026 (18:45 WAT kick-off) in matchday four of the Champions League league phase. Liverpool led twice, through Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak, but Archie Brown equalised on 73 minutes and Vedat Muriqi headed the winner on 79 for interim coach Dirk Kuyt.
By Emily · · Updated
What happened in Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool?
Fenerbahçe twice came from behind to beat Liverpool 3-2 in Istanbul on Wednesday night. The 18:45 WAT kick-off drew 39,536 to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, with Clément Turpin refereeing, per the DFB data centre match sheet, and it was 1-1 at half-time. Sky Sports said Liverpool's defence was undone by three set pieces, and BBC Sport noted that Liverpool had never before gone ahead so late in a major European game and still lost. It was Liverpool's first defeat of this European campaign, Sky added, and Fenerbahçe's first win of the league phase, according to the Sky Sports table.
Who scored for Liverpool and Fenerbahçe?
Nyoni opened the scoring on 25 minutes with his first goal for the club, which made him the second-youngest Liverpool scorer in the Champions League, according to Sky. The lead lasted four minutes: Mason Greenwood's free-kick flicked off Jeremy Jacquet on its way past Alisson. Two minutes before that, Fenerbahçe had already hit the crossbar through İrfan Can Kahveci.
Liverpool went ahead again on 69 minutes. Isak, on as a substitute three minutes earlier, scored with his first touch, heading in a cross from fellow substitute Gakpo. The reply came on 73. BBC Sport's report says a Gakpo header diverted the ball past Alisson and Brown tapped it in; the Liverpool FC match report describes Brown finishing at the back post from N'Golo Kanté's cross after a short corner. Six minutes later Muriqi, who had replaced Romelu Lukaku on 63 minutes, headed home a high cross for the winner; the club report says the move started from a short throw-in.
How did Iraola line Liverpool up?
Iraola made five changes from the 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal. The club report lists Alisson; Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Jacquet and Kostas Tsimikas; Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Nyoni; Víctor Muñoz, Bradley Barcola and Rio Ngumoha. Wirtz replaced Gomez, Isak replaced Muñoz and Gakpo replaced Ngumoha on 66 minutes, Milos Kerkez came on for Tsimikas on 76 and Lewis Koumas for Nyoni on 85. Sky Sports analysis pointed to the age gap that shaped the night: the starting front three averaged less than 22 and the defence just under 30.
What did Iraola and Kuyt say?
Iraola told reporters Fenerbahçe had scored "cheap goals. Messy goals", in quotes carried by both BBC Sport and Sky Sports, and both outlets reported him saying the noise in the stadium made communication "almost impossible". To Sky he added: "We conceded from a free-kick, a corner, a long throw and that has hurt us."
Kuyt, the former Liverpool forward, was in charge as interim coach. "We made a miracle tonight - not many expected us to win," he told BBC Sport, adding: "We showed Europe how big Fenerbahce is." He also told the BBC that it was Fenerbahçe's first win over an English side in 18 years, and noted that 18 was his own shirt number at Liverpool. BBC Sport reported that Emre Belözoğlu officially takes over as head coach from Thursday.
Where does this leave both clubs?
The result ends a short winning run for Liverpool. They had won five in a row before losing twice in four days, BBC Sport noted, and Sky called it the first time Iraola's side had lost back-to-back games. The Sky Sports Champions League table has Liverpool eighth on nine points with a goal difference of plus four, inside the top eight that go straight to the last 16. Fenerbahçe climb to 19th on five points, inside the nine-to-24 band that goes into the knockout play-offs. BBC Sport noted that the Turkish side had lost four of their 10 league games this season and had been beaten 6-0 at Aston Villa.
Liverpool return to the Premier League at Crystal Palace on Sunday 8 November, kick-off 14:00 GMT, which is 15:00 WAT, as listed by the Liverpool FC fixture update and the Premier League fixture amendments.
TuSport desk: what changed from our pre-match board
Our preview on Wednesday afternoon listed Ryan Gravenberch out with a heel fracture, Trey Nyoni as the young midfielder Iraola was ready to trust, and Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo outside the registered league-phase squad. All three calls held. None of Gravenberch, Chiesa or Endo was among the 11 starters or the six unused substitutes listed in the club's own report. Nyoni did more than start: he scored his first goal for the club, and Sky Sports made him the story of the night.
The bigger lesson sits in a 13-minute window. Iraola made a triple change on 66 minutes, sending on Florian Wirtz, Isak and Cody Gakpo, and two of those substitutes combined for the 69th-minute lead inside three minutes. From there Liverpool conceded twice from dead balls in six minutes. On Sky's count, every Fenerbahçe goal came from a set piece and two of them arrived after the triple change. A bench that changed the game in attack did nothing for how Liverpool defended corners and long throws.
For readers in Lagos and Abuja, the table matters most. Liverpool sit eighth on nine points, the last automatic place in the round of 16, with four league-phase games left. Their next match is Crystal Palace away in the Premier League on Sunday 8 November at 15:00 WAT.
Why it matters
Liverpool are still in an automatic place, but one more slip in the last four league-phase games could push them into the play-offs, while Fenerbahçe start the Belözoğlu era with belief. Follow the Liverpool and Champions League hubs, our Champions League guide and the WAT kick-off times guide. For more Turkish football, read our reports on Onuachu nearing a Trabzonspor return and Ismail Jakobs retiring from Senegal duty at Galatasaray.
Sources: Sky Sports — Fenerbahce vs Liverpool; UEFA Champions League · BBC Sport — Another 'miracle' in Istanbul - but this one hurt Liverpool · Liverpool FC — Match report: Liverpool beaten by Fenerbahce in Champions League · DFB data centre — Fenerbahce SK - Liverpool FC, 3:2, Champions League 2026/27 matchday · Sky Sports — Slavia Prague vs Arsenal; UEFA Champions League · Liverpool FC — Fixture updates: Three Premier League changes for Liverpool in November · Premier League — Fixture amendments for Premier League matches in November
