Liverpool were held to a point by a determined Sunderland side at Anfield. The high-flying Black Cats battled to hold on to a point despite taking the lead midway through the second-half, but they could have taken all three points at the death.
Arne Slot saw an upturn in performance and result against West Ham last Sunday, although the toothless Hammers side weren’t the ideal litmus test given their struggles this season and Lucas Paqueta hitting the self-destruct button when he was sent off. Regardless, the Dutchman opted to keep faith with the team he selected, meaning there was no place for Mohamed Salah in the starting line-up again.
The 33-year-old was dropped from the West Ham game, and in his absence, Florian Wirtz enjoyed arguably his most promising game in a Reds shirt in the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah was dropped for the second successive game (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Wirtz should have opened his Liverpool account on Sunday, and passed an early chance to get the monkey off his back when good fortune saw the ball take a number of deflections before dropping to the German in front of goal, but he was again unable to show a ruthless edge.
And the hosts were almost made to pay as Sunderland were more than happy to compete in the game and nearly took the lead when Alisson got away with one as his weak effort to palm away Noah Sadiki’s shot from distance turned the ball awkwardly onto his own crossbar.
A goalless first-half was exactly what Sunderland’s defensive efforts deserved with Slot and his team knowing they’d have to find a gear they didn’t need to go to in the win on the weekend.
Slot wasted no time from the break to introduce Salah as he threw the Egyptian into the fray at half-time, replacing Cody Gakpo. But Salah’s inability to defend almost cost the Reds when he failed to attack the ball at the near post defending a corner, seeing Omar Alderete ghost around him and head against the post.
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk was at fault for Sunderland's goal (Image: Paul Currie/Shutterstock)
The Black Cats weren't without their just deserts for long when Chemsdine Talbi took advantage of more ineffective Virgil van Dijk defending. The stalwart is enduring the toughest form of his Liverpool career and made a mess attempting to play out, gifting the ball back to Sunderland 25 yards from goal.
Van Dijk then made no effort to close down Talbi, who had all the time to take aim at the edge of the box and saw his shot deflect into the far corner off the Dutchman, who turned his back on the ball.
If the 34-year-old had shown as much bite arguing back against Wayne Rooney's criticism of his form in his defending, he wouldn't be on the receiving end of scathing comments which are becoming harder and harder to defend and ignore with every week.
Hugo Ekitike was introduced with 15 minutes to play off the left of Alexander Isak, who endured another incredibly frustrating night in front of a travelling support lapping up the British record signing's struggles given his previous allegiances to rivals Newcastle.
Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz rescued Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
But Liverpool had an answer, when just like in the first-half, Wirtz forged more good fortune as he wriggled his way through the Sunderland box before releasing a left-footed strike that nestled in the top corner via a major deflection. The goal originally went down as his first goal in the Premier League, but the goals panel snatched his moment away, confirming the goal as an own goal, after the knock off Nordi Mukiele turned Wirtz's sliced effort past Robin Roefs, with the German's strike going wide.
The relief around Anfield was obvious and no one inside the ground will overly care that Wirtz's name won't go down on the scoreboard, with the midfielder's confidence in and around the box sure to hugely benefit in the coming weeks.
Liverpool threw everything at Sunderland to force a winner, but almost lost the game at the other end had it not been for Federico Chiesa's goal line clearance after Wilson Isidor ran free from the half-way line.
The Reds face a tough trip to Elland Road on Saturday against a Leeds United side with their tails up after they picked up a crucial three points against Chelsea.