Having watched Liverpool struggle against Sunderland at home, there were plenty of points to discuss for supporters.
Liverpool found it difficult to break Sunderland down at Anfield as they drew 1-1 thanks to Florian Wirtz‘s deflected 81st-minute strike.
The Reds have now failed to win three successive games at Anfield for the first time since March 2021, and it has left fans finding it difficult to see positives through the dropped points.
Here, Sam Millne (@sam_millne), Abigail Rudkin (@rudkin_abigail) and David John Jaggs of The Ragamuffins (@TheRagamuffins) discuss the main talking points from Liverpool 1-1 Sunderland.
Firstly, any positives to take from Wednesday night?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz celebrates with team-mate Curtis Jones (L) after scoring Liverpool's first and equalising goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
JAGGS: We didn’t lose the game. Turning around a behemoth like Liverpool Football Club, when we’ve clearly been blown off course, is going to take incremental steps.
The fact that Chiesa showed the commitment to make that game-saving block, the fact that Alisson‘s (dare I say it?) Karius moment goes onto the bar and not in the back of the net, and the fact that we eventually get the goal despite Sunderland throwing bodies in front of shots like their lives depended on it, shows something that hasn’t been there as much in recent weeks: a bit more determination, a bit of luck and a bit of resilience.
ABI: I feel like Wirtz has finally grown into his own at Liverpool. He looks confident and is not afraid to carry the ball anymore.
Also, Joe Gomez has finally been given the game time we’ve been waiting for and didn’t disappoint.
We all know his capabilities and wanted Arne to finally give him the chance. I completely understand his injury record has been horrific, but in a time like this you have to take the risk.
SAM: Liverpool looked slightly more defensively solid like against West Ham, but that came at a cost to their pressing and ability to win the ball back high up the pitch.
Wirtz looked good again, but he was trying to create with 11 bodies blocking his path – hardly an easy task when your striker, Isak, is so ineffective and your two wingers both prefer the ball to feet.
Elsewhere, Jones came out with some credit again; it should be questioned more why he isn’t starting at the moment.
What went wrong for Liverpool against Sunderland?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch reacts to conceding the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
ABI: I think lots of things went wrong. Our work off the ball wasn’t very good; we looked lazy at times. Virgil and Ibou both struggled when trying to control the ball and get it away.
A few hit-and-hope shots from the midfield that wasted big opportunities for us throughout were frustrating.
Alisson looked slightly nervous when distributing from the back, but he’s had a lot of time out. I’m sure he’s just getting back into the swing of it.
Isak is not getting the service he needs as a No. 9 for Liverpool. He doesn’t get a sniff with these players around him.
JAGGS: I think Slot has set us up to be more solid in this run of games and that has taken away some of our attacking impetus, but when confidence is understandably on the floor, getting back to basics is where we’re at, I guess?
Isak did look a little bit anonymous again which is a worry. I wonder what Haaland was like and what he was perceived to be for Man City during their extended funk last season, albeit as someone who already has an incredible amount of credit in the bank.
It looked like we’d written off the right wing first half in both an attacking sense, but also in terms of shutting it down for Sunderland. Szoboszlai helped stop us getting outrun in midfield instead, but our interplay between Robertson, Gakpo and Mac Allister just wasn’t anywhere near good enough to fashion the chances we needed.
I really worry about our total lack of threat on the counter-attack now.
The days of the red arrows are long gone and I worry this makes teams more confident to attack us on set pieces, knowing we’re not likely to trouble them going the other way if we clear it. We don’t seem to win second balls on the edge of our own box to start counter-attacks either.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
SAM: Liverpool’s ability to win the ball back and attack swiftly, something that defined Klopp’s teams, has well and truly gone.
The first half saw the Reds sit deep – a tactic that suits playing Man City away more than Sunderland at home – but they did improve slightly in the second period as they began to pin the visitors back.
Again, the Reds’ play around the box looked blunt and there were very few real signs of patterns of play. Instead, Liverpool felt like they were waiting for a moment of magic or a set-piece.
Where do you stand on Arne Slot currently?
ABI: When it comes to Arne, I’m so conflicted.
On one hand, I absolutely love him for what he gave us last season. Some of the best nights of my life were celebrating winning the league and we did it in such a professional manner.
A part of me is just hoping he can turn it around, but I think that ship has sailed now sadly. I’m not willing to say I want him gone because I feel like throwing even more change into that dressing room isn’t going to help anything, might make it worse.
Should we not still try and fix it as a unit? I don’t know.
JAGGS: Winning the league for us to celebrate together after so long and then being a consummate leader in the wake of the truly tragic summer the club endured will always mean Slot has a special place in my heart.
Ultimately, though, football is a results business and a financial results business too, and I think if we don’t get qualification for next season’s Champions League the club will look elsewhere.
We need some reinforcements in January which seems crackers given our summer outlay, but we don’t have the personnel at the club to fix the problems. We need better (more!?) defenders, more pace and guile in attack and probably more legs and physicality in midfield.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk reacts to conceding the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Sunderland AFC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
SAM: Liverpool suffering a blip can happen, especially given the context of this season. The more worrying thing for me is the fact they have lost 16 games in all competitions in 2025.
If I were the owners, I wouldn’t sack him unless they had a truly perfect fit lined up – and I don’t think that person exists.
I also think Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes need to take some responsibility. I struggle to believe it, but it does seem currently like Liverpool spent the money in the summer without a real plan on how to use the players.
What should Liverpool’s target now be for the season?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, November 26, 2025: Liverpool's players form a pre-match huddle before the UEFA Champions League match between Liverpool FC and PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
ABI: I keep telling myself I think we’ll win the Champions League, but that performance against PSV put an end to that. There’s something about Liverpool in Europe that I never lose hope with, so maybe?
But top four or five has got to be the goal now. Champions League football for next season is so important for the club and the fans.
JAGGS: Top four or five. Financially, being in the Champions League is imperative given our outlay.
We can give the Champions League a good go and try and go as far as we can, but I think Budapest in May (Allez Allez Allez) is wishful thinking at this juncture.
SAM: Hopefully we can regain some form, even if it is just by avoiding defeats, so we can put together a run in the Champions League.
At this moment in time, however, that feels unlikely. Top four is still well within reach, and that is a big thing for the club from a financial perspective.