What is Sunderland's greatest ever Premier League XI?
Sunderland were back in Premier League action when they faced Liverpool on Wednesday night
In the end it wasn’t quite the famous night it looked like it might be.
Some wonderful footwork and a big deflection allowed Florian Wirtz and Liverpool to take a share of the spoils but for Sunderland this was another big step firmly in the right direction. It was a performance that embodied why they have made such a successful start to the season, resolute defensively and strong side to very few clear chances.
Though they weren’t a constant attacking threat, they did enough to trouble Liverpool and Chemsdine Talbi’s deflected effort wasn’t entirely against the run of play. It was a point they were on the whole pretty good value for, even accounting for a belated spell of late Liverpool pressure. One point closer to 40.
Sunderland had reverted to something akin to a back five after their successes against Chelsea and Arsenal, though in the opening exchanges it looked a little different with a more aggressive intent. Trai Hume was pushed up essentially to play as a right winger in a 4-4-2, with Le Fee alongside Brian Brobbey at the top of the pitch. With Liverpool a little flat and sloppy playing out from the back, that front two were able to apply some pressure on the ball and it felt like there was something in the game for the Black Cats even if clear chances were few and far between.
Aside from one long-range effort that was straight at Roefs, the hosts offered little early on and much of their possession was well away from the Sunderland goal. It said much for the flow of the game that their first real opening of the half came from a Sunderland error, a poor kick from Roefs straight into the path of Gravenberch. Szoboszlai was able to find Wirtz with a pass and though he beat Roefs to the loose ball, his effort rebounded off the goalkeeper onto his shin and into the side netting.
Liverpool were edging up the pitch and having possession in better areas as the half developed, but Sunderland were repelling crosses into their box with relative ease. They had the best effort of the game to date just after the half-hour mark following a dangerous set piece, Szoboszlai passing straight into the feet of Hume. The connection on the shot was good, and Alisson was fortunate that his save pushed the ball onto the crossbar rather than into the net.
Sunderland did have to survive one dangerous moment just before the break, Gomez putting in a lovely cross from the right following a corner that Mac Allister headed onto the post and wide. Liverpool had shaded the half on territory and chances, but Sunderland had for the most part been comfortable. Even if their initial attacking threat had mostly faded, their set piece threat meant they were always right in the contest.
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Slot was clearly underwhelmed by his team’s first-half performance, and turned to Mo Salah at the interval. The mood inside Anfield changed, the intensity both of the atmosphere and the game itself lifted right from kick off. Liverpool looked sharper and more dangerous, even if a spell of pressure didn’t yield much in the way of chances.
Reinildo was standing up the challenge from Salah well and the added intent from Liverpool did leave space on the break, Sunderland striking the woodwork for the second time in the game when Alderete headed Le Fee’s wicked corner onto the near post.
It wasn’t long before Sunderland were ahead. By now they had most dropped back into their familiar low block, content only to break when the opportunity presented. That came when Liverpool didn’t deal with a long ball forward, a loose pass from van Dijk played straight into the path of Le Fee. He teed up Talbi, whose long-range effort struck the Liverpool captain and flew into the far corner. Talbi had been a growing threat in the game, his slice of fortune well deserved.
Sunderland managed the following exchanges fairly well, making Liverpool’s equaliser all the more frustrating. It came as Sunderland tried to clear inside their own box, Alderete finding Talbi but the winger losing out to Jones. He found Wirtz who glided into the box, showing wonderful footwork to feint past both Reinildo and Ballard. From there he got a slice of lick similar to Talbi’s, his effort striking Mukiele and flying into the back of the net. Having brought on Geertruida for Le Fee just minutes before, Sunderland now had to ensure they were able to retain some attacking threat while seeing out the final exchanges.
Sunderland were camped in their own box for the most part, the flow of the game summed up by the fact that Luke O’Nien made his Premier League debut as a left winger to add extra defensive presence from crosses and set plays. The pressure was immense, but Sunderland forged one huge late chance when Roefs sprung Isidor clear with a goal kick. He rounded the goalkeeper but was denied by Chiesa, who had made a brilliant recovery run to clear off the line.
It will leave Sunderland with a small sense of what might have been, but the pressure they had to endure in the closing stages underlined what a difficult assignment this was, how well they did for the most part and what a valuable point it is. The huge reception from the away end at full time spoke volumes on that front.
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