Liverpool's Premier League title defence suffered another setback on Wednesday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland at Anfield. Chemsdine Talbi's deflected strike put the visitors ahead, but Florian Wirtz's effort flicked in off Nordi Mukiele to rescue a point for the Reds with 10 minutes remaining.
Arne Slot made just one change to the side that won at West Ham, with Andy Robertson replacing Milos Kerkez. Mohamed Salah started on the bench for the second consecutive match, despite the manager admitting the Egyptian was unhappy at being left out previously. Salah was introduced at half-time for Cody Gakpo, but could not inspire a turnaround.
Sunderland had several chances to extend their lead, with Trai Hume hitting the woodwork and Wilson Isidor rounding Alisson only to see his effort cleared off the line by Federico Chiesa. Liverpool also struck the woodwork through Alexis Mac Allister and Omar Alderete, but lacked fluency for much of the game.
Joe Gomez made his 250th appearance for Liverpool, a milestone achieved over 10 seasons despite persistent injury problems. The defender remains just 28 and has been a key part of the squad, particularly during the 2019/20 title-winning campaign.
