After a blistering start to the 2025/26 season, Liverpool have hit somewhat of a roadblock.
The Reds suffered their first Premier League defeat of the campaign on matchday six when they were downed by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, courtesy of Eddie Nketiah’s last-gasp winner. That hangover carried into the Champions League well, as Arne Slot’s men lost their unbeaten European record when they were beaten in Istanbul by Galatasaray.
Osimhen Downs Liverpool
The bookies made Liverpool huge favorites to secure all three points on their trip to Turkey, even with both Mo Salah and Alexis Mac Allister on the bench. However, they were stunned after just 16 minutes when Galatasaray’s record signing Victor Osimhen gave the hosts a shock lead from the penalty spot.
Even after the aforementioned Reds were introduced in the second half, the visitors were unable to find an equaliser and ultimately succumbed to a 1-0 defeat.
Despite the loss, online betting sites still make the Reds contenders to win the Champions League this season. The popular Bovada betting site currently has Liverpool listed as a 13/2 fourth favorite, narrowly behind reigning champions PSG (11/2), Spanish champions Barcelona (11/2), and fellow Premier League side Arsenal (6/1). Even with the lofty billing, though, alarm bells are certainly ringing around Anfield.
Losses in the Champions League are inevitable, especially when the continent’s very best play each other on a regular basis.
What happened the last time Liverpool suffered the first defeat of their continental campaign? Did they bounce back, or did it signal the beginning of the end? Let’s take a look.
2024/25: PSV Eindhoven Defeat Spells the Beginning of the End
Last season, Liverpool hit the ground running in the newly revamped league phase. Slot’s side won their first seven fixtures, securing top spot in the standings with a match to spare. As such, in their final group game, they rotated heavily for their trip to face PSV Eindhoven, and ultimately they would come undone.
The Merseysiders lost 3-2 in the Netherlands, twice throwing away a lead in the process. That would count for little in a wider context, but ultimately it showed a chink in their armour which would be exploited by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Following the defeat in Eindhoven, Liverpool met the Parisians in the Round of 16; and despite losing 1-0 in the Parc des Princes, PSG turned things around in the second leg.
Ousmane Dembele secured the French heavyweights a 1-0 win at Anfield before giant shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma became their hero in the resulting penalty shootout, saving from both Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to secure his team’s progression to the quarter-finals.
LIVERPOOL ARE OUT OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 😱
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) March 11, 2025
2022/23: Napoli Hand Liverpool a Rude Awakening
If Liverpool enjoyed the perfect start in the Champions League last season, they certainly didn’t in 2022/23.
The Reds got that European campaign off to the worst possible start as they were thumped by Napoli. A brace from Piotr Zieliński, coupled with strikes from Osimhen and Giovanni Simeone, handed the eventual Italian champions a stunning 4-1 victory, immediately throwing a spanner in the works for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
In true Liverpool fashion, however, the Reds bounced back with aplomb. They won all five of their remaining group games, beating both Rangers and Ajax home and away, as well as securing revenge against Napoli with a 2-0 home win courtesy of late goals from Salah and Nunez. Unfortunately, that was as good as it would get.
Klopp’s side met Real Madrid in the Round of 16 in a repeat of the previous year’s final. In that showpiece, Los Blancos emerged as somewhat undeserved 1-0 victors courtesy of a sensational display from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
This time around, they were certainly deserving of their victory, winning 5-2 at Anfield and 1-0 at the Bernabeu to hand Liverpool a sobering exit from the Champions League, for which they failed to qualify the following season.
2021/22: Surviving the Inter Milan Scare
In 2021/22, Liverpool once again asserted their dominance in the group stage, winning all six of their games against Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and FC Porto.
Their unbeaten streak would come to an end in the Round of 16. After beating Inter Milan 2-0 in the first leg at the San Siro, they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at Anfield courtesy of Lautaro Martinez’s second-half strike.
That loss was Liverpool’s first of the season in Europe, but they wouldn’t be beaten again on the continent until the final. Benfica and Villarreal were seen off in the quarter- and semi-finals respectively, setting up a showdown with Real Madrid in Paris with the famous trophy on the line.
Despite the Reds peppering away at Courtois’ goal, the competition’s serial winners would yet again find a way to win. Vinicius Junior’s second-half strike was enough to take the trophy to the Bernabeu for the 14th time, breaking the Reds’ hearts in the City of Love.