Liverpool fan favorite Federico Chiesa came off the bench to save Liverpool, as he has done several times this season.
He scored the winning goal against Bournemouth on the opening day, and scored the crucial equalizer late on against Crystal Palace, but in that game Liverpool lost in stoppage time.
Against Sunderland, Chiesa produced another big moment, this time in his own half.
Chiesa saves Liverpool with a brilliant block
As Liverpool pushed hard for victory, Sunderland launched a dangerous fightback late in stoppage time.
A beautiful long pass from the goalkeeper sent Wilson Isidore cleanly over the goal, leaving Liverpool vulnerable.
Allison lost, but Chiesa didn’t. The Italian made an impressive sprint, cornering Isidore from inside his own half, before making a perfectly timed block to stop the goal.
Alisson picked up the loose ball and saved Liverpool from a heartbreaking home defeat.
Without Chiesa’s incredible work rate and dedication, Liverpool would almost certainly have lost again at Anfield.
Liverpool put in another terrible performance
Despite Chiesa’s heroics, it was another worrying performance for Liverpool, who were second for most of the game.
Sunderland looked more aggressive, greedy and motivated from the first whistle, taking the lead in the 67th minute through Kemsuddin Talbi after a sloppy defensive error from Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool finally equalized in the 81st minute thanks to some great play from Florian Wirtz. His stray dribble and shot went wide of the goal, and was officially ruled an own goal by Nordi Mukiele.
Arne Slott once again started with Mohamed Salah on the bench, but Liverpool’s problems run much deeper than the Egyptian’s absence.
Tactical issues, lack of fighting ability, and repeated defensive failures continue to plague the team.
If slots cannot reverse this alarming decline soon, the pressure on management will only increase, and the possibility of a financial crisis by January cannot be ruled out.
