Liverpool fans in Kenya's sports bars went to bed groaning. Twice Andoni Iraola's side led in Istanbul on Wednesday night, and twice they handed it back, before Vedat Muriqi rose in the 79th minute to give Fenerbahce a 3-2 win and end the Reds' perfect start in the Champions League.

It was Liverpool's first European defeat of the campaign, coming at the halfway mark of the eight-game league phase, and it came in a stadium where, by Iraola's own account, his players could barely hear one another.

How it unravelled

Teenager Trey Nyoni put Liverpool ahead in the 25th minute with a deflected volley, his first goal as a professional, according to Sky Sports. The lead lasted four minutes: Mason Greenwood's free-kick deflected off Jeremy Jacquet and in.

Alexander Isak restored the advantage in the 69th minute, heading in Cody Gakpo's cross with his first touch. Again it did not last. In the 73rd minute a mix-up between Gakpo and goalkeeper Alisson let Archie Brown tap in, and six minutes later Muriqi met a high cross to complete the comeback.

  • 25': Nyoni 0-1
  • 29': Greenwood 1-1
  • 69': Isak 1-2
  • 73': Brown 2-2
  • 79': Muriqi 3-2

'Cheap goals. Messy goals.'

Iraola did not hide his frustration. "Cheap goals. Messy goals," he said, adding that the noise inside the stadium made it "almost impossible to communicate", Sky Sports reported. Fenerbahce interim boss Dirk Kuyt, a former Liverpool favourite, was jubilant: "We made a miracle tonight, not many expected us to win."

Rest of the night

Other English clubs fared better. Arsenal won 2-1 at Slavia Prague despite conceding late, and Manchester City edged RB Leipzig 3-2 in Germany. Real Madrid needed a stoppage-time Federico Valverde winner to beat AEK Athens 3-2 after goals from Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.

The headline act was Como, who thrashed Lens 9-1 in France, the biggest away win in the competition's history, with Tasos Douvikas scoring a hat-trick.

For Liverpool's large Kenyan following, the consolation is that the league phase is long. Their next European night will show whether Istanbul was a blip or a warning, and whether a defence that gifted Fenerbahce two of their three goals can be fixed in time.

Photos: Liverpool FC; Sky Sports. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.