Greenwood hails Fenerbahce’s resolve after comeback win over Liverpool

Mason Greenwood praised Fenerbahce’s determination after they beat Liverpool 3-2 in the fourth round of the Champions League league phase.

The Turkish side fell behind but remained convinced they could recover, securing their first victory in this season’s competition under interim manager Dirk Kuyt.

“It was a great performance from the team,” Greenwood told TNT Sport. “We fought until the end and always believed we had a chance to win the match, despite going 1-0 down.”

Greenwood also thanked the coaching staff, his team-mates and the supporters who backed Fenerbahce throughout the game.

“I would like to congratulate everyone on the coaching staff and all the players, especially the fans who supported us,” he said. “We are very happy to achieve this victory tonight.”

The 24-year-old said Fenerbahce had been told before kick-off that every player would need to share the difficulties of facing Liverpool, who he described as one of Europe’s best teams.

“We were simply told before the match that we would all suffer together because we know Liverpool are one of the best teams in Europe and have outstanding players in attack,” Greenwood said.

The plan was to stay compact during difficult spells, defend in a low block and look to exploit spaces on the counter-attack.

“We knew that if we stayed together during the difficult moments and defended in a low block, we would be able to create chances and hurt them on the counter-attack, as we did in the first half,” he added.

Fenerbahce also expected their strength in the air to give them opportunities, and Greenwood said they made the most of the openings that came their way.

“We also knew we would be strong in the aerial battles and that we would be able to create some chances,” he said. “We managed to take advantage of them and secure the win.”

The result leaves Liverpool on nine points in fifth place, although their final position will depend on the remaining matches in the fourth round.

Fenerbahce moved up 12 places to 19th, taking their total to five points.

The victory was Kuyt’s first in the Champions League this season since taking temporary charge of Fenerbahce following Ismail Kartal’s resignation.

Before the match, Kuyt said he would need to control his emotions as he prepared to face Liverpool in the Champions League.

The Dutchman played for Liverpool from 2006 to 2012 and scored the decisive penalty in the club’s Champions League semi-final in 2007.

Kuyt also represented Fenerbahce between 2012 and 2015, winning the Turkish league title with the club.