Andoni Iraola blamed messy defending after Liverpool fell to Fenerbahce, while Dirk Kuyt savoured a new Istanbul 'miracle' at his old club's expense.
Istanbul has given Liverpool another night to remember, but this time the Reds were on the wrong side of it. Fenerbahce beat Andoni Iraola's team in the Champions League, and the manager was blunt about where it went wrong.
Iraola described the goals his side conceded as "cheap" and "messy", pointing to defensive lapses rather than any brilliance from the hosts. For a team with big European ambitions, giving away chances that easily is the kind of habit that gets punished fast at this level.
The result also carried plenty of symbolic weight. Liverpool's famous 2005 comeback in Istanbul is part of Champions League folklore, and former Reds hero Dirk Kuyt used the same word, "miracle", to describe this latest big night in the city. Kuyt wore the shirts of both clubs during his career, which made the moment even more fitting.
Now the focus turns to the response. Iraola has a clear diagnosis, and his players must tighten up quickly if this defeat is to stay a stumble rather than become a real setback in the competition.
