Alexander Isak pulls no punches after Liverpool surrender lead twice in Istanbul

Perfect European start ends in Istanbul collapse

Liverpool suffered their first UEFA Champions League defeat of the season after falling 3-2 to Fenerbahce in a thrilling encounter at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. Andoni Iraola made five changes to his starting line-up, with 17-year-old Trey Nyoni scoring his first senior professional goal to put the Reds ahead in the 25th minute.

After Mason Greenwood equalised, substitute Alexander Isak restored Liverpool's advantage with his first touch, nodding home Cody Gakpo's cross inside the six-yard box.

However, immediate responses from Archie Brown and Vedat Muriqi saw the hosts turn the game around to condemn the Premier League side to back-to-back defeats in all competitions.

Isak slams team's sloppiness after throwing away lead

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the final whistle, Isak was critical of how the team handled their advantage on two separate occasions during the match. "It's never easy here but today I think we could and should get more out of the game," Isak admitted.

"It's a bit sloppy that we had the lead twice and for us to then lose the game is not good enough."

"Obviously we're going to be disappointed from that," the striker added.

Swede rues failure to silence fiery Turkish crowd

Isak highlighted Liverpool's inability to maintain control immediately after scoring as the decisive factor in allowing the home crowd to stay involved. "The atmosphere is really good and it's tough, of course. So, the one thing you can do to keep them quiet is score goals," Isak explained.

"So, it's a shame that we conceded quickly and we should capitalise on that. That's where we were lacking today."

On netting his first European goal for the club, he added: "I was happy with it at the time. I was hoping that it was going to lead to more. I'm always happy to score goals but today we lost, so it takes a bit from it."

Reds look to regain winning momentum quickly

Despite the setback in Turkiye, Isak remained optimistic about Liverpool's overall standing in the Champions League table. "I think we've put ourselves in good positions, so that today if we lose this game it's not a chaos situation," Isak noted.

"We just need to get back to winning ways, and if we win the next game we are back to a really good position."

Iraola's squad will return to England to regroup as they aim to bounce back in their upcoming domestic and European fixtures.