Besiktas vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game

Besiktas prevailed 5-4 in a penalty shootout to knock Liverpool out of the UEFA Europa League at the round-of-32 stage. The two were locked at 1-1 after 210 minutes of exhausting play in total.

Tolgay Arslan scored the only goal of the night, curling a beautiful effort into the top corner from 18 yards, to cancel out Mario Balotelli's first-leg penalty. A remarkable penalty shootout ensued, where nine were expertly converted, but Dejan Lovren blazed over the 10th and final one.

Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the match.

Loser: Dejan Lovren, Who Ended the Liverpool Dream

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We'll start with the obvious one, shall we?

Dejan Lovren lands as a catastrophic loser after skying the 10th penalty and losing Liverpool the shootout. It was a poor finish made worse by the fact that the nine before it were all absolutely sublime; even Joe Allen found the top corner.

His passing over the course of 120 minutes was pretty iffy anyway, and he looked a weak link in defence all night. Another bad night for the Croatian.

Winners: Olcay Sahan and Tolgay Arslan, Who Were Excellent

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Besiktas played well across the board, but the two individuals who really shone were Olcay Sahan and Tolgay Arslan.

The former presented a constant threat down the left-hand side and went close on a number of occasions. Sahan's runs split Kolo Toure in half regularly, and his crossing teed up Demba Ba for a few chances.

The latter, substituted on for the disappointing Jose Sosa in the second half, scored a beautiful goal to put Besiktas 1-0 up and stung the palms of Simon Mignolet multiple times. Arslan's penalty was a thing of wonder, too.

Loser: Brendan Rodgers, Whose Magic Touch Deserted Him

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In the search for a second loser, we could have settled on Jordon Ibe, who put in his first poor performance for Liverpool, but we've selected Brendan Rodgers for some odd substitutions, odd tactics and poor management throughout.

ESPNFC's Miguel Delaney was equally unimpressed with the Ulsterman's selection, citing the Mario Balotelli-Daniel Sturridge combination and how its failing to pay dividends requires further examination.

Philippe Coutinho was left at home and needed a rest, but Sturridge, Raheem Sterling, Alberto Moreno, Emre Can and several other key men all just took a chunk out of their fitness ahead of a huge fixture against Manchester City.

If you win, it's OK, but if you lose, you attract criticism. It's the name of the game.

"I can only give credit to my players," Rodgers said, per BBC Sport. "Unfortunately for us, Istanbul has not been a happy place for us tonight."

Rodgers added: "I think until they scored the goal we were quite comfortable. Our aim was to keep a clean sheet. We did miss some of our creativity, but it's no excuse."

Winner: Daniel Opare, Who Was Superb out of Position

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Daniel Opare is a young right-back trying to make a name for himself following release from the Real Madrid academy, but Thursday's performance may well have raised his stock in a different position: left-back.

It's hardly a seismic change, granted, but Cesar Azpilicueta makes it look a lot easier than it actually is. Opare dominated Jordon Ibe, dealt with the pacey attackers on his side and attacked assuredly.

His crosses left a fair bit to be desired, but his overall performance was very, very encouraging. He was far better than regular Ramon Motta.

Winner: Atiba Hutchinson, Who Dominated Centrally

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When Besiktas played Arsenal early in the season for a place in the UEFA Champions League, they were missing Atiba Hutchinson in defensive midfield. Those unfamiliar with the Turkish outfit wouldn't notice his absence in August 2014, but he's integral to Besiktas' success and proved that on Thursday.

The Canadian enforcer finished the game with seven tackles, per WhoScored, after dominating the centre of the park against Can and Allen. As the match wore on, he got stronger and stronger; he's a true engine who can turn the tide of a game.

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