A late, deflected strike from Florian Wirtz spared Liverpool's blushes as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night. The result prevented the Black Cats from securing a first victory at the ground in over four decades.
Sunderland's Anfield Ambition
The visitors, backed by a vocal away support including former striker Kevin Phillips, grew into the game after a cautious start from the hosts. Sunderland created the better chances in the first half, with Trai Hume seeing a shot slip through Alisson Becker's gloves and onto the crossbar. Liverpool's first real threat came just before the interval, with Dominik Szoboszlai forcing a save and Alexis Mac Allister heading against the post.
The deadlock was broken in the 67th minute, and it was the Championship side who struck. Chemsdine Talbi fired a long-range effort that took a decisive deflection off Virgil van Dijk, wrong-footing Alisson and sending the travelling fans into raptures.
Wirtz Steps Up Amidst Big-Money Struggles
Facing an unexpected deficit, Liverpool needed inspiration. It arrived from their young German star, Florian Wirtz. The £116 million signing, who had impressed in the previous win at West Ham, danced past two Sunderland defenders before unleashing a shot that took a crucial touch off defender Nordi Mukiele and found the net, officially recorded as an own goal.
Wirtz's intervention highlighted a concerning theme for head coach Arne Slot. Despite a summer outlay of around £450 million, many of the new signings failed to deliver. British record signing Alexander Isak, tasked with filling the void left by Mohamed Salah, had a difficult night, miscuing a first-half chance horribly. Salah himself, starting on the bench for successive league games for the first time in his Liverpool career, made little impact after being introduced at half-time.
Consequences and Late Drama
The point salvaged some pride for Liverpool but will increase scrutiny on Slot's decisions, particularly regarding Salah. Ironically, the Egyptian's imminent departure for the African Cup of Nations may simplify team selection in the short term.
Sunderland were agonisingly close to a famous win in added time. A swift counter-attack ended with Wilson Isidor's effort being cleared off the line by Federico Chiesa, ensuring the points were shared. The draw extends Sunderland's wait for an Anfield victory, but their performance on Wednesday 03 December 2025 demonstrated a resilience that nearly caused a major upset.
