Liverpool face an uphill task to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League after falling to defeat at Turkish outfit Besiktas.

The home side were gifted their first by Sami Hyypia whose leg inadvertantly deflected in Serdar Ozkan’s strike.

They doubled their lead when Ibrahim Uzulmez played in striker Bobo who slid the ball under Pepe Reina.

Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool hope with a flying header but it came too late for Rafa Benitez’s side.

It is now one point from three matches for the Reds who began poorly in Istanbul - a city that gave them so much joy in 2005.

They were put on the backfoot straight away by Besiktas, whose defender Serdar Kurtulus went close in the opening five minutes with a 25-yard effort that flew just two yards over Reina’s bar.

The Reds looked like a team under pressure and it took until the second half for their reorganised midfield to show any sort of cohesiveness.

Their defence also looked nervy with the ball over the top and down the wings, and a mix-up in their own penalty area led to the Besiktas opener.

Bobo was a little terror during the match and his pull-back from the byeline, after chasing a hopeful ball, fell to the feet of Serdar Ozkan whose snap-shot from eight yards deflected off Sami Hyypia’s leg and past Reina.

In these situations the Reds would look to Gerrard, but the skipper was both looking out-of-sorts and was being well marshalled by a disciplined Besiktas side.

When he was allowed to escape he was a threat and the England international came close to giving them the equaliser, but his poke, following a classy one-two with Dirk Kuyt, brought out a good reaction save from Hakan Arikan.

Kuyt’s strike partner Andriy Voronin messed up Liverpool’s best chance of the first half when he failed to connect with a ball from three yards out after defender Gokhan Zan’s tame clearing header.

The Premier League side pressed after the break but opportunities were few, and when one came their way, it fell to Hyypia who mis-timed his volley from 10 yards.

They were made to pay for their lack of spark when the impressive Bobo was sent clear by Uzulmez before composing himself and passing his shot under the body of the on-rushing Reina.

Liverpool unleashed more men forward and finally got some reward when Gerrard chanced his arm - well, his head - and gave his side a lifeline in spectacular style.

The last few moments were desperate for Besiktas and Liverpool but the home side held out.