Fenerbahçe won 3-2 with a third of the ball and fewer good chances

Liverpool had two-thirds of the possession and more shots inside the box, but Fenerbahçe's late winner came from a side that was usually outplayed on the ball.

Fenerbahçe had 33% of the possession at Chobani Stadium, well under the 51.6% they average at home this season. Liverpool had 67%, far above the 54% they usually hold away from home. Possession was not what decided this Champions League match, though, and the reasons sit in the chances.

Football's fairer measure of chances is expected goals, or xG, which gives each shot a value based on how likely it was to go in. Liverpool's 1.55 was well below the 2.88 they average on their travels, even though they took 20 shots. Those 20 shots were close to their usual amount, so the difference lay in how good the chances were, not how many came.

Fenerbahçe's chances were close to their normal level, with an xG of 1.69 against a home average of 1.58. What stands out is the finish. They scored three from those chances, while their home average is 1.3 goals a game. Mason Greenwood equalised in the 29th minute after Liverpool had gone ahead through Treymaurice Nyoni, and that goal came from a side that had spent much of the first half without the ball.

Liverpool still had the more shots inside the box, 17 to Fenerbahçe's 10, and the xG underlines that their volume did not turn into quality. Alexander Isak scored in the 69th minute, and Cody Gakpo's assist was the move that made it. Liverpool had their chances to win it, but the goals they took were fewer than their shot count suggested.

The decisive stretch came between the 73rd and 79th minutes. Archie Brown scored to level the match, then Vedat Muriqi won it in the 79th minute, with Brown supplying the final pass. Fenerbahçe conceded two goals, a little above the 1.5 they usually give away at home, but they took the three that mattered from a side with more of the ball and more shots inside the area.

Greenwood and Brown were the Fenerbahçe players who most shaped the afternoon, with Greenwood scoring and Brown combining in both the equaliser's aftermath and the winner. On Liverpool's side, Nyoni and Isak scored, and Gakpo's involvement in both of their goals gave the visitors something to build on. Neither side can claim the match was ordinary on the numbers, because each side's chances were bent away from its usual pattern.

Fenerbahçe have two points from three matches and sit 31st in this table. Liverpool have won all three of their away matches in it and sit fourth.

Player of the matchM. Greenwood1 goal8.2

T. Nyoni1 goal8.2

V. Muriqi1 goal7.7

A. Isak1 goal7.6