Swathes of blue and red greeted the six goals at Goodison Park, as Everton and Liverpool played out an exhilarating 3-3 draw. 

Yet 3,400km away, Istanbul's Liverpool Supporters' Group felt the same joy and despair as those sitting in the Goodison away end. 

The group, founded via social networking sites in 2010, have progressed to some 3,200 online members across Turkey, with fans watching matches in Ankara and Izmir, as well as Istanbul.

Here, though, a group of around 50 Turkish Liverpool fans huddled over beer and Guinness, as Daniel Sturridge eventually completes the scoring. 

The setting was the dimly-lit and effortlessly Irish-themed James Joyce bar. Nestled just off Istanbul's lively Istiklal Street, the bar serves both the traditional Irish tipple as well as imported English ales, with the scenery completed by Gaelic football memorabilia and Irish posters.

The bar offers these passionate Liverpool fans an upstairs side-room for their meetings, with a demographic of mainly early-twenties males.

The group is made up of fans of all of Istanbul's rival teams, co-founders Onur and Can follow Fenerbahce and Besiktas respectively. Some, though, like the dedicated Canberk, dismiss any idea of supporting another team. For them, Liverpool are enough.

The same outpourings of elation seen across Stanley Park were also evident in Istanbul, with the celebrations sending tables full of beer rocking, and the Everton goals causing weary heads to fall into hands.

The main surprise, as MirrorFootball sat down for conversations at half-time, was that the Istanbul Champions League final didn't seem to the be the event that triggered support for Liverpool.

With such a landmark occasion for Liverpool happening in the city, it seemed natural that the event would raise some interest, yet each fan had their own experience to draw upon.

Onur pinpointed a 2006 match with Arsenal, finding himself mesmerised by renditions of You'll Never Walk Alone, despite Liverpool being behind. Canberk, who proudly proclaimed he'd been following Liverpool for twelve years, derives his support from the 2001 FA Cup final, where a Michael Owen brace saw Liverpool lift the trophy.

Despite being converted by different events, Onur, Canberk and Can all seem optimistic about the current set of Liverpool players, and their chances of finishing in the top four, with the younger Kerim agreeing. For Onur the impact of Fenway Sports Group will be key in providing Brendan Rodgers with the funds and acumen to match his ambition.

With an Istanbul Everton fan group also now in existence, watching their matches across the Bosphorus on the Asian side of the city, it seems that Merseyside football has really captured the imagination of Istanbul's young men.

There a plans to stage a meeting of both sides of Merseyside here in Istanbul at the time of the next derby.

The fans will be here in colour and in voice, but whether they get six goals and a match as entertaining as this one remains to be seen.

Source: Daily Mirror