Key events
Andy Hunter
Liverpool’s big name, big money summer signings owed Arne Slot following poor starts to life at Anfield and, right on cue, Florian Wirtz delivered. A deflected shot from the potential £116m recruit spared the Premier League champions the ignominy of a 10th defeat in 14 games with a late equaliser against Sunderland, who will count this as an opportunity missed.
Chemsdine Talbi had set the in-form visitors on course for a first win at Anfield since 1983 before Wirtz levelled in style in the 81st minute. Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor was close to restoring his side’s lead when rounding Alisson in stoppage time but a superb goalline clearance from striker Federico Chiesa salvaged a point for Liverpool.
Full time: Liverpool 1-1 Sunderland
Ekitike’s shot on the turn flies into the crowd, the last act of a hard-fought draw at Anfield. Chemsdine Talbi’s deflected shot put Sunderland ahead; Liverpool equalised when Florian Wirtz’s off-target effort flew into the net off Nordi Mukiele. They looked set to win it at the end but might have lost it when Wilson Isidor’s shot was cleared off the line by Federico Chiesa.
When the dust settles that will go down as another great night for Sunderland’s intrepid band of optimists.
90+4 min: Off the line by Chiesa!
Roefs collects a cross and plays a fantastic pass straight downfield to put Isidor through on goal. He tries to go round Alisson, who forces him wide, and his eventual shot is cleared off the line by Chiesa!
That fabulous pass from Roefs was Sunderland’s first in almost 10 minutes. Isidior was onside as he ran from inside his own half, but Chiesa got back to deny him.
90+3 min Sunderland’s last successful pass was in the 84th minute. That’s bonkers.
90+1 min: Sunderland substitution Luke O’Nien replaces the goalscorer Talbi.
90 min A Liverpool corner leads to more desperate defending – first to block a header from Van Dijk, then a follow-up shot by Salah. There will be seven minutes of added time. A Liverpool winner feels increasingly inevitable.
89 min Now Chiesa’s snapshot is blocked after a penetrative run infield by Salah.
88 min The indefatigable Szoboszlai has a shot blocked after running on to an excellent pass from Salah.
87 min Only one winner now, and it’s not Romania Sunderland. The ball has barely left their half since the equaliser.
86 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Milos Kerkez and Federico Chiesa replace Andy Robertson and Alexander Isak.
85 min Replays show that Wirtz’s shot was going wide until it deflected off Mukiele, so the Liverpool equaliser has gone down as an own goal.
83 min At the other end Hume stands up a superb cross that is headed away brilliantly by Van Dijk under serious pressure.
Curtis Jones won the ball high up the field and stabbed it forward to Wirtz. He danced past two players before screwing a left-foot shot that took a big deflection off Mukiele and flew past Roefs.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Sunderland (Wirtz 82)
Florian Wirtz scores his first Premier League goal!
Edit: it has gone down as a Mukiele own goal (see 85 min).
80 min: Sunderland substitution Lutsharel Geertruida replaces Enzo Le Fee.
79 min Liverpool’s last attempt on target was from Szoboszlai in the 43rd minute.
77 min “How is Isak still on the field?” writes Bill Muskett .”I’d forgotten he was playing.”
76 min Frustration at Anfield when Isak is penalised for pushing Ballard. Liverpool’s confidence is subterranean.
74 min: Liverpool substitution Hugo Ekitike comes on for Alexis Mac Allister.
72 min Mac Allister, 25 yards out, belts the ball into the crowd.
71 min This would be a 10th defeat in 14 games for Liverpool; that’s after they started the season with seven straight wins.
Oh and as things stand, Sunderland are fourth in the table.
69 min Sunderland appeal for a penalty when Ballard goes down in the area after a slight shove from Szoboszlai. Nothing much in that.
Ah, Talbi’s shot took a big deflection, but Sunderland won’t care. Van Dijk’s sloppy pass was collected by Le Fee, who quickly moved it forward to Talbi. He took a touch and whacked a shot from 25 yards that deflected off the rump of Van Dijk before spinning into the far corner.
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Sunderland (Talbi 67)
What a goal from Chemsdine Talbi!
65 min: Liverpool substitution With Liverpool having more of the ball, and needing to take some risks, Curtis Jones replaces Joe Gomez at right-back.
64 min Liverpool have dominated possession in the second half. But Sunderland have settled into a low block and look relatively comfortable.
62 min: Sunderland substitution Wilson Isidor replaces Brian Brobbery who, in the parlance of our time, has a) put a shift in and b) been a handful.
61 min: Alderete hits the post!
A fast, inswinging corner from Le Fee is met by Alderete, whose flicked header hits the outside of the near post with Alisson motionless!
Premier League results
60 min After excellent hold-up play from Brobbery, Talbi slips two players on the edge of the area and stabs a square pass that is cleared by Mac Allister.
59 min Szoboszlai, who looks the man most likely to make something happen, spanks wide from 25 yards.
58 min Salah’s deep corner is headed down, half cleared by Sunderland and then belted back towards goal by Salah. His shot is blocked.
58 min Still nothing between the teams really. Salah is starting to liven up and has combined niecly with Szoboszlai on two or three occasions.
56 min A break in play allows the TV director to show Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips in the away end.
55 min Gomez joins him for an inept/cynical sliding challenge from Reinildo, who would have been away on the left wing.
54 min Le Fee is booked for a cynical foul on Mac Allister.
50 min Liverpool keep the ball for a minute or so before a heavyish touch from Salah allows Reinildo to block his cross.
48 min A scruffy start to the second half. You’re welcome.
46 min And they’re off.
Mo Salah is coming on at half-time in place of Cody Gakpo. Florian Wirtz moves to the left wing and Dominik Szoboszlai to the No10 position.
“He’s waited so long,” says Peter Oh. “I’d love for him to score his first Liverpool goal today. Go on Joe Gomez!!”
“In football, confidence usually flows through the team from the back,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Forwards attack with abandon when they trust the defenecto handle it if they lose the ball. Even during their run of victories at the start of the season, they looked shaky at the back. When things started going wrong, it confirmed worries, rather than chipping away at belief.”
Those aren’t the lyrics to Parklife?
Half-time reading
It’s not football and I don’t care. This is a beautiful piece of writing from Tanya Aldred on my first sporting hero, who died on Monday aged just 62. RIP legend.
Half time: Liverpool 0-0 Sunderland
No goals at Anfield; nothing much between the teams either. Both hit the woodwork, both had spells of relative dominance – but Sunderland looked the more relaxed and assured team.
45+1 min A Sunderland corner is half cleared to Talbi, who hooks a volley towards goal from 25 yards. It hits a defender, loops up in the air and is touched over the bar by Alisson. He probably could have caught it but we thought the same about Jordan Pickford all those years ago.
44 min: Mac Allister hits the post!
Reinildo is flattened after wearing a cross straight in the breadbasket. Play continues and Gomez curls an inviting early cross from the right; it’s met by Mac Allister, whose header beats Roefs and hits the outside the near post.
43 min Wirtz cracks a nice early pass out to Gakpo on the left. He cuts inside, as pear, and tries a shot that is blocked at source on the edge of the area.
Seconds later, Szoboszlai wobbles an awkward long-range shot that is pushed over the bar by Roefs. The ball was moving in the air so he took no chances.
42 min “Liverpool are ponderous,” writes Joe Pearson. “They spend so much time walking. To this Liverpool fan, they have become a very hard watch. Where’s the pressure? Where’s the effort? Ugh.”
40 min Liverpool look totally bereft of confidence. It’s hard to believe that they have fallen so far, especially after winning the first five or six games of the season.
Source From: Premier League | The Guardian
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