Iraola's strikerless gamble unravels as Liverpool blow lead twice in Istanbul

Liverpool's unbeaten start to the Champions League ended in Istanbul as Fenerbahce, managed by former Reds forward Dirk Kuyt, won 3-2 after twice coming from behind, according to the Independent.

The result dropped Liverpool to their second straight defeat in all competitions and was described by the Independent as Andoni Iraola's worst night since he took charge.

Liverpool had arrived in Turkey with a perfect record of three wins from three in the league phase, and the Guardian had reported before kick-off that victory would put them a significant step closer to qualification for the knockout rounds.

Kuyt took the Fenerbahce dugout for his first European match since replacing Ismail Kartal on an interim basis the previous week, the Guardian noted.

Iraola chose a strikerless attack for the trip, selecting Bradley Barcola, Rio Ngumoha and Victor Munoz while holding Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo in reserve, the Independent reported.

The approach misfired. Barcola, who had looked promising attacking from the left against Arsenal days earlier, struggled to make an impact from an unfamiliar central role, and Liverpool lacked a focal point up front.

Iraola turned to his bench for impact, bringing on Isak, Wirtz and Gakpo together, and the change initially paid off when Isak headed in a Gakpo cross to restore Liverpool's lead.

But the Independent reported that Liverpool conceded three times from set-pieces during the match, including a deflected Mason Greenwood free-kick that Iraola's side had little answer for, and they could not hold on as Fenerbahce scored late on for a second time to complete the turnaround.

"Cheap goals. Messy goals," Iraola said afterwards, as quoted by the Independent, summing up the defensive lapses that undid his team's reshuffled attack.

The defeat compounded a difficult week that began with a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal in the Premier League, in which Kai Havertz's early goal proved decisive, according to Yahoo Sports.

Iraola was left aggrieved by an incident in the 21st minute of that match when Isak had his shirt pulled by Jurrien Timber without a penalty being awarded, with neither referee Andy Madley nor VAR intervening.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the Arsenal game, as reported by Yahoo Sports, Iraola said: "The fact that you are even asking me that he should have gone to the floor, that's the thing. If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty for me. They call the penalty 100%."

Asked whether he would now instruct Isak to go to ground in similar situations, Iraola replied simply: "Yes, definitely."

Taken together, the two results have exposed the challenge facing Iraola as he manages a squad with uneven depth across competitions, rotating key attackers such as Isak, Wirtz and Gakpo while searching for cohesion in a strikerless system that has yet to convince.

Liverpool remain in the Champions League league phase after their first dropped points of the campaign, with the defeat ending their 100% record but leaving their overall European standing intact heading into their next fixture in the competition.