Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa has scarcely been used under the up-and-down stewardship of Arne Slot, who – perhaps unexpectedly – prefers to opt for the likes of Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah. As such, the Anfield faithful remain convinced that he is still failing to give the Italy international his flowers after a last-ditch effort saw him prevent Sunderland from scoring a late winner in their 1-1 draw with the Black Cats on Wednesday evening.
Liverpool's hatful of chances in both halves aside, Slot's men are now eighth in the 2025/26 Premier League table after spending in excess of £400 million on summer recruits, and they found themselves a goal down in the 67th minute after Chemsdine Taibi's effort dipped and evaded Alisson Becker's outstretched arms. It took them 14 minutes to level proceedings.
Florian Wirtz thought he had broken his Liverpool duck with a brilliant fish after dancing in the box, skipping beyond the challenges of Reinildo and Dan Ballard to create the space and curling his left-footed effort beyond Robin Roefs. It was later confirmed that it went down as a Nordi Mukiele own goal – and the German was informed during his post-match interview with Sky Sports. Sunderland, as mentioned, fluffed the chance to nick it at the death.
Chiesa's Last-Ditch Block vs Sunderland Not Appreciated by Slot
federico chiesa
After Wirtz’s equaliser, or shall we say Mukiele's own goal, Regis Le Bris' Black Cats nearly scored a last-minute winner courtesy of Wilson Isidor, Sunderland's top goalscorer in the Premier League this campaign, but one man prevented that from happening: Chiesa. Looking to impress after replacing Alexander Isak late on, he showed grit and determination to make a difference... and that he did with guile and tenacity.
Isidor carried the ball well as Sunderland looked to counter a porous Liverpool defence and the forward managed to get around Alisson before firing a goal-bound shot.
Chiesa, signed from Serie A outfit Juventus in the summer of 2024, produced a lung-busting run as he provided plenty of ground going back towards his own goal. His fresh legs now tired, the Italian blocked Isidor's effort from bundling into an open net – and it was much to the joy of the home contingent, who let out a collective roar as if they had just scored the winner.
An Anfield figure who seemed less inclined to thank Chiesa for his defensive contribution in the final moments of the encounter was Slot, who kept it short and simple when asked about the 28-year-old's last-ditch block. With many under the assumption that Chiesa's efforts may have saved Slot's job for the time being, the Dutchman said:
"Yeah, I think that's what you want a team – or a player – to do in a situation like that. To just give everything, even in a situation where you feel you cannot do a lot anymore. Just keep running and that's what he [Federico Chiesa] did and that's why he cleared the ball off the line."
Watch Slot's assessment of Chiesa's last-ditch block (11:42) onwards) below:
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge made sure to wax lyrical about the Fiorentina academy alumnus. “You know what, credit to Chiesa for getting back. He [Isidor] didn’t anticipate Chiesa behind him doing that," the centre-forward-turned-pundit said on Sky Sports' coverage of the encounter. "But Chiesa’s tenacity and his will to ensure the team doesn’t concede a goal is a beautiful thing to see, considering he’s an attacker as well.”
Slot Slammed by Liverpool Fans for Chiesa Post-Match Remarks
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Not afraid to run himself into the ground irrespective of how much game time Slot gives him, Chiesa has now brought his tally of minutes to 143 with four more in normal time during Wednesday's stalemate with Sunderland. Those of an Anfield persuasion have always been thankful for the wide man's efforts – albeit usually from the bench – and this time is no different, with them slamming Slot's post-match remarks.
"This is so bad and embarrassing. Chiesa deserves better," one supporter said after watching Slot's under-appreciation for Liverpool's man of the moment. Another added: "This, for me, is what makes Slot so unlikeable. He has no humility to give Chiesa credit and praise him." as a third wrote: "I don't know why Slot dislikes Chiesa. Klopp would have ran to give Chiesa a big hug after the final whistle and praise his effort during the post-match interview."
"It's frustrating to see such a lack of appreciation for a game-changing moment. Chiesa's commitment was pivotal, and it's crucial for leaders to recognise not just the effort, but the impact players have in high-stakes situations."
"He really didn’t want to give credit to Chiesa. It was really strange. He was more interested in hugging and smiling with Sunderland players at full-time," a fifth fan said, before one concluded: "This sums him up. He’s lost the fans – well actually, I never liked him, but that’s a personal opinion. If that was Klopp, he’d have been creased up and praising Chiesa and saying he’s starting in defence next week. The guy is just so unlikeable."
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