Only a few Liverpool players looked anywhere close to their best in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland.
Florian Wirtz made the equaliser for the Reds, though his strike has now been credited as an own goal.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah looked sharp when he was brought on at half-time following a second benching in as many games.
Who was your Man of the Match against Sunderland?
After Wirtz’s equaliser, Sunderland nearly scored a later winner via Wilson Isidor, but one man prevented that from happening.
Daniel Sturridge singles out Federico Chiesa after stopping Sunderland’s goal
Isidor is the Black Cats’ top goalscorer in the Premier League this season and very nearly added to his tally when he was played through on goal.
The forward carried the ball well and managed to get around Alisson before firing a shot at goal.
However, Federico Chiesa covered plenty of ground to track Isidor and block his effort going into an open net.
Immediately after the game, former Liverpool centre-forward Daniel Sturridge praised the Italian’s efforts when speaking live on Sky Sports.
He said: “You know what, credit to Chiesa for getting back. He [Isidor] didn’t anticipate Chiesa behind him doing that.
“But Chiesa’s tenacity and his will to ensure the team doesn’t concede a goal is a beautiful thing to see, considering he’s an attacker as well.”
Florian Wirtz spared Liverpool’s blushes vs Sunderland, rate his performance out of 10!
Florian Wirtz stats for Liverpool vs Sunderland
- xA: 0.16
- Key passes: 3
- Accurate passes: 52/59 (88%)
- Passes in opposition half (acc.): 42/50 (84%)
- Ground duels (won): 5 (3)
- xG: 0.71
Why doesn’t Federico Chiesa start for Liverpool
It showed great spirit and character, which has been sorely lacking at times in this Liverpool team throughout 2025/26.
Yet, despite continuing to work hard and show glimpses of quality during his limited outings, Arne Slot hardly ever starts the winger.
Slot commented on Chiesa not playing for Liverpool recently, suggesting he needs to show more in training.
He said: “You think of everything, everything. Until now I tried things differently but they train with us and they can prove themselves in those moments.”
But if Chiesa trains with anywhere near the intensity he showed to stop Isidor scoring on Wednesday, Slot’s comments look harsh.
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