Phil Thompson shares why Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Galatasaray could actually be a good thing

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Liverpool suffered a second defeat of the season at the hands of Galatasaray on Tuesday, meaning they now have a one-goal deficit to overturn at Anfield.Arne Slot’s entire team was poor in Turkey, with mistakes and a lack of quality on full display at both ends of the pitch.But while Liverpool fans are obviously angry with Slot after the loss, former player Phil Thompson thinks a 1-0 defeat is actually better than a draw in this case, as the team and fans are ‘going to be more up for it’, and not already certain they will qualify. Would you be too disappointed to see him leave this summer?Credit: Burak Basturk/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images Liverpool will be more up for second leg at Anfield with all the work to doSpeaking on The Official Liverpool FC Podcast, Thompson suggested taking a draw back home for a second leg meeting could have seen players switch off.He said: “I’m not panicking at all.

Sometimes, it’s going to sound daft, which I’ve made a lot of daft statements, 1-0 defeat can be better than 1-1 because you go back to Anfield and think, oh, we’ve got it done, it’s all there.“We’re going to be up for it. The fans are going to be more up for it, not thinking that this game’s given away.

I’m not too down.”Like Thompson, Jamie Carragher is not panicking about the loss, and he is still expecting Liverpool to qualify for the quarter-final meeting with Chelsea or PSG.However, it is worth pointing out that while Anfield is traditionally a fortress, their home record in Champions League knockout games hasn’t been great in recent years. Credit: Arife Karakum/Anadolu/Anadolu/Getty Images Liverpool’s home record in Champions League knockout gamesIn 2024/25, Liverpool lost 5-1 on penalties at the hands of PSG in the last-16 at Anfield.In the campaign prior to that, the Reds had to compete in the Europa League, while 2022/23 saw them lose 5-2 to Real Madrid at home in the last-16.Then, even though they made it all the way to the final in 2021/22, the Merseyside outfit only secured one win at Anfield in the knockout phase (vs Villarreal in the semis), having lost to Inter Milan and drawn with Benfica in the previous rounds.But there is one small positive going into next Wednesday’s meeting – Galatasaray have only won one of their five away Champions League games in 2025/26 so far.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox