Liverpool’s Champions League title defense got off to a dreadful start on Tuesday after they slumped to a 0-2 defeat away against Napoli.

Dries Mertens converted a penalty on 82 minutes and striker Fernando Llorente added a second in stoppage time as Napoli gained a measure of revenge for last season’s 1-0 defeat at Anfield that denied the Italians a spot in the knockout rounds.

Napoli defenders Kalidou Kouilbaly and Mario Rui neutralised the threat of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah and Senegal’s Sadio Mane that helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side register a clean sheet.

For Liverpool, Salah and Mane had threatened before Roberto Firmino missed a chance to open the scoring just before half-time when his header flashed wide and Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret’s fingertip save at full stretch denied Salah on 65 minutes.

The breakthrough came eight minutes from time after Jose Callejon went down easily in the box under pressure from Andy Robertson, with Mertens slotting in the penalty, awarded without consultation of VAR.

Llorente then pounced on Van Dijk’s loose pass to claim his first Napoli goal, sealing a famous win for the hosts.

The Reds, however, remain favourites alongside Napoli to progress from Group E despite Salzburg’s thrilling 6-2 win over Genk.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to their defeat:

Van Dijk was also trolled for his mistake that led to the second goal.

(With AFP inputs)