Liverpool Week in Review, Monday 9th November: Reds Bounce Back at Crystal Palace After Arsenal and Fenerbahce Setbacks
It's been a rollercoaster week for Liverpool, with defeats to Arsenal and Fenerbahce either side of a much-needed win at Crystal Palace before the international break.
The week began with frustration still lingering from the 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal at Anfield, a result that saw the Gunners win there for the first time since 2012 (talkSPORT). Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time on record, a stat picked over in detail by both the Liverpool Echo and the Guardian (The Guardian) (Liverpool Echo). Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both weighed in with strong criticism of a Liverpool player over an incident during the game, branding it 'embarrassing' (Liverpool.com), while there was also controversy around Michael Oliver despite the referee not actually being involved in the match (Liverpool.com). Elsewhere, debate raged over a contentious penalty shout involving Alexander Isak and Jurrien Timber (Liverpool.com), and the Premier League were told a 'clear offence' was missed that should have resulted in a red card (Liverpool Echo). Cody Gakpo even suggested afterwards that his teammates should consider diving more (BBC Sport), while Steven Gerrard gave his verdict that Liverpool 'shot themselves in the foot' in the defeat (Liverpool.com). Carragher also had an entirely separate headache this week, with an Aston Villa update emerging on potential legal action following his apology for 'clumsy' comments about Villa and their fans (Liverpool Echo).
Liverpool's week went from bad to worse in Istanbul, where a Champions League trip to face Dirk Kuyt's Fenerbahce ended in a 3-2 defeat, with the hosts twice coming from behind to end Liverpool's perfect start to the competition (BBC Sport) (Liverpool Echo). The result prompted plenty of soul-searching, with This Is Anfield noting that heavy rotation backfired even as teenager Trey Nyoni shone (This Is Anfield), and the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle pointing to a Jeremy Jacquet setback as part of an Andoni Iraola experiment that didn't come off (Liverpool Echo). Nyoni was undoubtedly the bright spot, becoming Liverpool's second-youngest Champions League scorer (LiverpoolFC.com) and reflecting afterwards that he was 'bittersweet' about his first goal for the club, saying he 'still wanted to win' (This Is Anfield). Bradley Barcola, meanwhile, had a night to forget, labelled 'anonymous' and sharing a poor 4.5 rating with a teammate according to This Is Anfield (This Is Anfield), with the Echo also marking him down to 4/10 (Liverpool Echo). Iraola pushed back on a Steve McManaman assessment of the rotation policy in his post-match press conference (Liverpool.com) (LiverpoolFC.com), while Alisson Becker and Jeremy Jacquet both sent the same message on social media as the squad looked to bounce back (Liverpool.com). Despite the result, Iraola was given backing over his future in the role (Liverpool.com), and BBC's Match of the Day analysis framed his Liverpool as still a work in progress (BBC Sport).
Thankfully, the mood improved at Selhurst Park, where Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 3-1 to get back to winning ways before the international break (Liverpool.com) (The Guardian). Alisson was outstanding in goal, earning praise from Sky Sports as one of the standout performers of the weekend (Sky Sports), while the Echo's player ratings also highlighted his superb display alongside one struggling teammate (Liverpool Echo). Florian Wirtz spoke of an 'efficient' win and praised Iraola's guidance in front of goal (LiverpoolFC.com), and all four of Liverpool's starting forwards played their part in the goals, something Iraola will hope to build on (Liverpool.com). There was a slightly concerning moment involving Dominik Szoboszlai, who came out for the second half with black tape on his leg, though Iraola offered an update afterwards (Liverpool.com) - and Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Carragher have separately flagged what they see as a Szoboszlai problem for Iraola to address (Liverpool.com). Liverpool also tied a club record for away form in the Premier League this season with the victory (LiverpoolFC.com). Ryan Gravenberch missed the trip to Palace, his third game in a row out through injury, despite some earlier hopes he might return (Liverpool.com) (LiverpoolFC.com) (This Is Anfield), while the Reds also had to negotiate the game without several other key players (Liverpool.com).
Trey Nyoni has been the standout individual story of the week on the pitch, with extensive media interest in the young midfielder following his first Premier League start against Arsenal (LiverpoolFC.com) and his breakthrough Champions League goal against Fenerbahce. He spoke about 'fine margins' in the Arsenal game (LiverpoolFC.com), the need for the team to 'show we're a good team and bounce back quickly' after Fenerbahce (LiverpoolFC.com), and gave a wide-ranging interview on his role, his contract situation and adapting to first-team football, insisting 'I don't get nervous, never' (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com). John Aldridge's column suggested Nyoni's emergence could save Liverpool millions in the transfer market (Liverpool Echo), a point echoed by Emile Heskey, who believes his rapid development could help solve two midfield problems at once (Liverpool Echo).
On the contract front, Alexis Mac Allister has been speaking openly about his situation at Anfield, describing discussions as 'painful' while also teasing a possible U-turn that could see him stay beyond his current deal (TeamTalk) (Liverpool.com). There's also been transfer chatter surrounding Jeremie Frimpong, with Liverpool.com running through possible replacements amid talk of a possible exit (Liverpool.com), while reports linked Real Madrid with an interest in Victor Munoz as well as Mac Allister (Liverpool Echo) - though there was a boost on the Munoz front as he was left out of the Spain squad (This Is Anfield). Elsewhere, Liverpool have been credited with sending scouts to watch Frankfurt's Nnamdi Collins alongside Chelsea and Manchester United (LiverpoolFC.com), are said to be considering a move for Brighton's Luka Vuskovic among other defensive targets (TeamTalk), and have been linked with Barcelona's Alejandro Balde amid questions over his future at the Nou Camp (Liverpool.com). On the other side of the ledger, Bayern Munich are reportedly readying a new deal for Michael Olise, which would end any hopes of a move for the Liverpool target (TeamTalk). Young striker Will Wright earned his first international call-up after a string of hat-tricks for Liverpool's youth sides (Liverpool.com).
Elsewhere, Liverpool face Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, with the fixture details confirmed (LiverpoolFC.com), and the club used their annual Christmas campaign to say a big 'thank you' to supporters (LiverpoolFC.com). On a more sombre note, Liverpool's Williamson Tunnels heritage centre is set to close despite a campaign to save it (BBC Sport), though there was a heartwarming story of Toxteth teenagers travelling to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela's family (Liverpool Echo).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
