Liverpool stumbled again at Anfield and left the pitch to some boos after managing only a 1–1 draw with Sunderland, a result that lays bare just how stagnant Arne Slot’s team has become this season. Van Dijk’s mistake on Talbi’s goal and the hard-earned equalizer on Wirtz’s shot that deflected off Mukiele don’t hide the obvious: Liverpool is playing below its potential and remains stuck in mid-table, now in eighth place, even behind Sunderland.
A tight, insecure team relying on flashes of inspiration
The match opened with the same familiar script that’s become routine at Anfield. Liverpool moved the ball around, tried to dictate the tempo and pushed forward, but couldn’t turn that presence into clean scoring chances. Szoboszlai’s long-range strike early on briefly lifted the crowd, yet Sunderland didn’t blink. Roefs handled almost everything with ease, while Alisson barely had anything to do.
Liverpool’s best chance of the first half fell to Wirtz. He pounced on a loose ball near the box, went one-on-one with Roefs and tried to finish quickly, but the keeper stuck out a foot to deny him. It was the kind of play that could’ve opened the game and forced Sunderland out of its shell, but it ended up symbolizing the match: Liverpool approached the goal often, but didn’t finish.
Sunderland, on the other hand, made it clear it wasn’t just passing through. Hume nearly scored in the 32nd minute with a curling shot that Alisson tipped onto the crossbar, a warning that the visitors were far more comfortable than they should be at Anfield. Liverpool responded with a header from Mac Allister that clipped the outside of the post. Between half-chances and frustration, halftime arrived under a cloud of unease.
The scene shifts a bit, but the same issues remain
Slot returned from the break with Salah on the field, a clear attempt to add aggression in the box. Liverpool did get more bodies forward, though the creativity problem refused to go away. Both Wirtz and Salah ran into crowded blue shirts, and Roefs continued almost untouched.
When Sunderland hit the post again, this time with Alderete at the near post, it became obvious the draw wasn’t some fluke. And then came the punishment. Talbi picked up the ball about 20 yards out and struck it. The shot deflected off Van Dijk, wrong-footed Alisson and opened the scoring. It summed up the captain’s rough afternoon and the defense’s instability.
The equalizer only came because Curtis Jones, who played very well after coming on, recovered the ball high up the pitch and slipped it to Wirtz inside the area. The number 7 spun, created space and hit it. The shot took a deflection off Mukiele and found the top corner. More persistence than construction. Liverpool pushed for a winner, piled on corners, kept Sunderland pinned back, but nearly conceded again on a counterattack. Isidor rounded Alisson and would’ve scored if Chiesa hadn’t cleared it off the line. And the draw also marks Liverpool’s third straight match without a win at Anfield, something that hadn’t happened since 2021.