Twenty years after Liverpool’s most celebrated night in Istanbul, there was no repeat miracle in this enchanting city by the Bosphorus. They will require another minor miracle to clinch the Champions League again this year if their defense remains this shaky.

The term ‘miracle’ might be an exaggeration, but Arne Slot acknowledges that his Premier League champions are a lesser version of their past selves defensively and must enhance their performance to aspire for continental glory in May.

Following a defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, they faced yet another loss in a daunting and hostile environment against Galatasaray, where VAR intervened to overturn a 90th-minute penalty against the Reds.

Victor Osimhen netted the crucial goal as Turkey’s finest overcame England’s best, leaving Slot perplexed over the current issues plaguing his team.

Though they secured victories in their first seven games of the season, there was a discernible gap in their performances compared to their usually high standards, indicating underlying issues.

There is no cause for alarm—this performance was subpar but not disastrous, and many teams have crumbled in this intense atmosphere by the Marmara Sea. Nonetheless, Liverpool will return home aware that significant improvements are needed before facing Chelsea on Saturday.

The chief concern was that it all felt too similar to last weekend, when they lost at Selhurst Park – and not just because of the raucous, hostile welcome (sorry, Palace fans, but the noise here made the sound of the Holmesdale Fanatics feel as calming as a meditation session).

Like in south London, Liverpool defenders were looking at each other puffing their cheeks out for allowing an attacker to sneak in behind at ease only to be luckily bailed out by goalkeeper Alisson. After two minutes, the Brazil No 1 was needed to deny Baris Yilmaz from eight yards.

Even the best shot-stopper in the world can only come to the rescue so many times in one outing, though, as shown at the weekend – and after 16 minutes Liverpool fell behind to send this place into utter bedlam.

Liverpool should have scored seconds earlier, when Ekitike was thwarted by Ugurcan Cakir and Cody Gakpo saw a rebound cleared off the line, but Galatasaray counter-attacked with menace and Yilmaz was fouled by Dominik Szoboszlai in the penalty area.

Was it soft? Yes. Was the situation preventable? Also yes – Liverpool, again, were undone too easily. And while the Turkish team may not be one of Europe’s established elite, they still have a £65million talisman in Osimhen, the former Napoli bagsman, to lead the line.

The Nigerian sent Alisson the wrong way from 12 yards. And the club famous with British fans for ‘Welcome To Hell’, Graeme Souness planting flags and other less savoury events found themselves ahead. The noise was now deafening, inducing a splitting headache.

Liverpool needed to find calm amid the chaos, order among the disruption. Slot needed sign language to get his message across but the general gist was ‘calm down’ as his troops continued to give the ball away cheaply, every Galatasaray interception cheered like a goal.

There were some bright moments but the Reds were crying out for some of their substitutes, most notably Mohamed Salah who started on the bench in a meaningful Premier League or Champions League game for the first time since a row with Jurgen Klopp in April 2024.

Despite all the money spent this summer, Salah is still the main man at the club even though it is fair to describe his start to the season as underwhelming. The sight of him and the small matter of £125m Alexander Isak warming up must be anxiety-inducing for opponents.

What is more anxiety-inducing at the moment, though, for Liverpool fans at least, is the form of the defenders, chiefly Konate. The Frenchman was solely at fault for giving the ball away in his own half in the second half, with Osimhen allowed to charge through on goal.

His effort was weak and Alisson managed to save it but injured himself in the process and needed to be substituted, seemingly tweaking a muscle as he tried to close down the angles for Osimhen. A lucky escape for Liverpool but at what cost?

Konate was quick to criticise fans online for calling out his early-season performances. Although some supporters overreact online, it is fair to say the defender – who is out of contract in the summer with Real Madrid sniffing – is far from the level he set last year.

To be fair, he is not alone in that regard. While the winning mentality has largely remained, the overall performances have not been anywhere near their best and that statement would have stood regardless of the final result in this match.

Slot’s men thought they were on track for yet another dose of last-minute drama when Konate went down under the challenge of Wilfried Singo in the box. Referee Clement Turpin pointed to the spot but was overruled by VAR.

It was everything Galatasaray and boss Okan Buruk, a former player here, deserved for a daring, hard-working and efficient performance. They partied long into the night in Istanbul and rightly so.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are top of the tree in the Premier League still, so there is no need for a full-scale inquest just yet but, after losing two games in a row for just the second time in his managerial career, Slot knows he has several problems to fix.