Liverpool were unable to return to winning ways once again in the Premier League last night, that’s despite a late equaliser at Anfield against high-flying Sunderland.
Arne Slot’s men looked to be staring down the barrel of yet another home defeat, but Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort late on secured a needed point to help stop the rot.
It could have been a lot worse for the Reds last night had they not found a leveller, with Chemsdine Talbi putting Regis Le Bris’ side ahead with just under 20 minutes remaining.
Arne Slot
However, the picture still looks incredibly bleak for the Dutchman and his side, as the Dutchman’s side currently occupy eighth place and sit 11 points off leaders Arsenal.
During the draw, it was yet another evening to forget for one player, with his selection by the manager once again coming under huge criticism after failing to deliver.
The stats behind Ibrahima Konate’s display against Sunderland
After a mistake against PSV in the Champions League last week, Slot has continued to operate with Ibrahima Konate at the heart of the backline for Liverpool.
The Frenchman has previously been one of the club’s leading talents in their recent success, but the 2025/26 campaign has been one to forget to date.
Konate-Liverpool
His showing against the Black Cats was yet another to forget for the 26-year-old, with his underlying figures showcasing his struggles on Merseyside once again.
Konate nearly misjudged a header, which led to the visitors going ahead before their eventual game, no doubt contributing to his measly tally of 57% aerials won.
He also won just 50% of the tackles he entered, whilst making just one interception - resulting in the club once again being unable to keep a clean sheet in England’s top-flight.
The defender desperately needs replacing over the coming months, with the same potentially being said about another player who failed to deliver on Wednesday night.
The Liverpool star who needs to be dropped after Sunderland
The draw against Sunderland last night now extends Liverpool’s run to just one win in their last five outings, highlighting the issues Slot currently has to deal with.
arne-slot-liverpool
He definitely needs to find a solution to the recent issues, with the club facing a real possibility of missing out on all forms of European football if such a trend continues.
Whether that be a formation change or a personnel change in certain areas of the pitch, the Dutchman has a real task on his hands - potentially finding himself out of a job should he fail to do so.
Alongside Konate, numerous players have failed to deliver in the Premier League, with Cody Gakpo also massively underperforming against the newly-promoted outfit.
The winger has been a consistent starter for the Reds so far this season, as seen by his tally of 12 starts in the first 14 league outings of the ongoing campaign.
Cody Gakpo for Liverpool
However, last night was one of his worst to date, so much so Slot decided to substitute the 26-year-old at the break and replace him with fan-favourite Mohamed Salah.
He was very predictable in the first half of the clash at Anfield, often cutting inside onto his favoured right foot, something which full-back Trai Hume read on the vast majority of occasions.
Gakpo’s underlying stats against the Black Cats further demonstrate his lack of quality, which led to hefty criticism being directed his way at the final whistle.
During his 45-minute showing, the attacker only managed to complete a total of seven passes, with none of which being into the final third - showcasing his lack of creativity at Anfield.
Cody Gakpo - stats against Sunderland
Statistics
Minutes played
Touches
Passes completed
Passes into final third
Dribbles completed
Crosses completed
Shots taken
Duels won
Stats via FotMob
He also failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles, whilst managing to register just one successful cross - reaffirming his struggles on Merseyside.
Gakpo’s lack of impact was topped off by his tally of just one shot, which was blocked, resulting in John O’Sullivan saying he was sick of the winger's “1/10 performances”.
Liverpool's Cody Gakpo
With players on the bench such as Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitiké, it’s vital that Slot drops the winger ahead of their next outing at the weekend in an attempt to end the recent barren run.
There’s no understating the struggles at Anfield at present, but the manager desperately needs to get a grip of the situation if any credibility is to come out of the ongoing campaign.
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