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53 minutes ago
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Liverpool’s big name, big money summer signings owed Arne Slot following poor starts to life at Anfield and, right on cue, Florian Wirtz delivered. A deflected shot from the potential £116m recruit spared the Premier League champions the ignominy of a 10th defeat in 14 games with a late equaliser against Sunderland, who will count this as an opportunity missed.
Chemsdine Talbi had set the in-form visitors on course for a first win at Anfield since 1983 before Wirtz levelled in style in the 81st minute. Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor was close to restoring his side’s lead when rounding Alisson in stoppage time but a superb goalline clearance from striker Federico Chiesa salvaged a point for Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah stood alone briefly during the warm-up casting envious glances at the ten outfield starters being put through their paces on the opposite side of the pitch. He was not among them, again. For the first time in his phenomenal Liverpool career the Egypt international was consigned to the substitutes’ bench for a second successive game. It was uncharted territory for the Anfield great as Slot stuck to the side that eased the pressure with victory at West Ham on Sunday with the exception of Andy Robertson for Milos Kerkez.
Few could have predicted that newly promoted Sunderland would be above the reigning champions in the table come December, but Régis Le Bris’s side showed why in a high-tempo, confident opening. Brian Brobbey led the line impressively on his first Premier League start and engaged Ibrahima Konaté in a constant physical battle. Close support from Noah Sadiki and Enzo Le Fée, allied to neat, one touch football, ensured the Liverpool defence were never comfortable.
Dominik Szoboszlai presented the visitors with their best opportunity of the first half. Trai Hume took possession of the Liverpool midfielder’s loose touch and let fly from 25 yards. Alisson could only push Hume’s effort on to his crossbar and was relieved to see the rebound bounce clear. The Liverpool keeper was also forced into evasive action to tip over Chemsdine Talbi’s deflected volley in first half stoppage time.
Liverpool promised only in flashes. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak looked to build on their improvements at West Ham but received little service as carelessness characterised Liverpool’s play. Wirtz was given a chance to register his first Premier League goal courtesy of a wayward clearance by Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs to Ryan Gravenberch. The Germany international exchanged passes with Szoboszlai and broke through on goal after a fortunate ricochet off two Sunderland defenders. Roefs foiled Wirtz’s attempt to poke the ball through his legs, however, and the rebound drifted into the side-netting.
Roefs also saved from Szoboszlai’s strike that dipped from distance. The Sunderland stopper was beaten by the unmarked Alexis Mac Allister’s header from a Joe Gomez cross but the midfielder’s attempt struck the base of a post and the visitors escape.
Salah’s second game on the sidelines lasted all of 45 minutes. Slot had seen enough of his team’s aimless attacking play, and Sunderland’s comfort in the face of it, to introduce the 33-year-old at the start of the second half. Salah replaced the anonymous Cody Gakpo with Szoboszlai shifting into his favoured central role and Wirtz out to the left.
The substitute was immediately involved and sought to take on left back Reinildo Mandava at every opportunity. But a Sunderland defence marshalled superbly by Omar Alderete stood firm. The greatest danger posed to the visitors came from their own goalkeeper and his needlessly risky distribution.
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Alisson was not immune to a careless clearance either and, after Konaté had prevented Brobbey from capitalising on his keeper’s error, Liverpool were almost punished from the resulting corner. Alderete arrived unmarked at the near post to meet Le Fée’s delivery with a deft header that struck the outside of the post. Liverpool were unable to capitalise on the let-off.
Quite simply, the champions’ performance was not good enough to do so. Five minutes after Alderete’s warning Sunderland took the lead following an unenforced error by Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool captain mis-controlled just outside his penalty area and scuffed an attempted clearance straight to Le Fée. The playmaker fed Talbi who, in space on the right, took aim with a shot that struck Van Dijk on the backside and sailed beyond Alisson into the far corner. Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips was in the front row of the away section to soak up the wild celebrations.
It was the 11th time in the last 14 games that Liverpool had conceded first and the Anfield crowd did not hide its annoyance when Isak and Robertson squandered possession cheaply in quick succession.
But this time there would be a response. Sunderland were holding out comfortably when a lapse in concentration by Talbi invited substitute Curtis Jones to steal the ball off his toes. Wirtz took over inside the Sunderland box and weaved his way past Mandava and Dan Ballard brilliantly before his shot struck Nordi Mukiele and flew beyond Roefs.
