Liverpool did not exactly build upon their win against West Ham after managing to snatch a point against Sunderland.
The Reds left it fairly late against the Black Cats but they managed to get something out of the game to take at least a little bit of pressure off Arne Slot.
A draw at Anfield to a newly-promoted side is still not ideal, but given how poor they were for the majority of the game, it feels like a decent result.
Who was your Man of the Match against Sunderland?
It certainly was not a vintage Liverpool performance, but it may have saved Slot’s job for another game, and here are how the players rated.
Defence
Alisson: 6 – Made a decent, but strange, save to tip a shot onto the bar in the first half, but didn’t have much to do other than that. Sunderland’s goal was deflected so didn’t stand much chance of getting there.
Joe Gomez: 5 – Steady defensively again in terms of positioning, but lost all six of his duels in the first half, suggesting there is a slight issue down that side. Also does not have the quality going forward, leading to a slight imbalance down that flank.
Ibrahima Konate: 5 – Had a good physical battle with Brobbey and kept things fairly simple, but there were still a couple of lapses in concentration.
Virgil van Dijk: 5 – A few sloppy passes to start off which matched the tempo of Liverpool’s play, and didn’t get much better as the game went on. Gave the ball away for Sunderland’s goal and deflected off him to go in.
Andy Robertson: 6 – Energetic as always and managed to balance getting forward and staying back well. Tried to drive the team forward by pressing as well, so had a decent game after coming back into the side.
Midfield
Ryan Gravenberch: 6 – A little quiet and perhaps didn’t get on the ball as much as usual, but did a good job defensively yet again.
Alexis Mac Allister: 5 – Had a good effort with his head at goal towards the end of the first half, but probably should have found the back of the net with it. Had plenty of the ball but was sloppy with it at times, also slowed the game down a bit too much.
Florian Wirtz: 7 – Almost scored his first goal for the club in the first half, and it looked like he finally had got it in the second half, although it turned out to be an own goal. Still, he moved the ball well, worked hard and hopefully this will be the start of his Liverpool career for good.
Attack
Dominik Szoboszlai: 6 – Had a few efforts at goal but nothing too troubling. Also worked hard as he always does, but was not quite as influential as he has been in previous games.
Alexander Isak: 5 – Worked hard but didn’t get much of the ball at all, which isn’t fully his fault. However, with the money spent on him, fans will be wanting to see a little bit more magic from out of nowhere.
Cody Gakpo: 5 – Just continued to be too predictable by cutting inside and giving it away. Always works hard and likes to run at defenders, but not switching up enough to make a difference. Taking him off at half-time felt fair.
Substitutes
Mohamed Salah: 6 – Came on at half time with a point to prove and he certainly added energy to the game. Slowed up a bit, though, but had a decent outing.
Curtis Jones: 5 – Came on at right-back and really made a difference, with the scouser driving the team forward to help get the goal.
Hugo Ekitike: 5 – Worked hard and brought a lot of energy, but couldn’t impact the game.
Federico Chiesa: 6 – Didn’t do loads but worked back brilliantly to stop a goal.
Milos Kerkez: 5 – Had a few flurries forward but nothing of note.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
