Liverpool were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Sunderland at Anfield, salvaging a point only thanks to a late Nordi Mukiele own goal.
The hosts struggled to break down the Black Cats, with the team looking “devoid of confidence” until the equalizer arrived, according to Express Sport.
Here are the individual player evaluations for the evening:
Starting XI Ratings
Alisson Becker (5): The Brazilian goalkeeper’s positioning was questioned on the opening goal. While he handled some efforts that came straight at him and made a standard save from Trai Hume, his distribution of the ball was inconsistent.
Joe Gomez (6): He performed his defensive responsibilities adequately and offered support in the attacking third. However, his passing tempo could have been higher, and he was cautioned late in the second half for a clumsy tackle.
Ibrahima Konate (5): The centre-back experienced difficulties coping with the physical presence of Brian Brobbey at times. He showed a few nervy moments in the back line but maintained simplicity when passing possession.
Virgil van Dijk (4): A performance well below his usual standard. He granted Talbi far too much space to prepare his shot for Sunderland’s goal and only seemed to become fully engaged following Liverpool’s equalizer.
Andy Robertson (6): Returning to the starting lineup, the full-back injected significant energy, constantly moving up and down the wing to contribute defensively and offensively.
Ryan Gravenberch (5): The midfielder showcased his defensive acumen by breaking up several attacking plays in the engine room. However, he was often slow to release the ball when in possession and lacked the necessary overall influence on the game.
Alexis Mac Allister (6): He was willing to engage in tough challenges but ultimately failed to make the attacking impact he had hoped for. He came close to scoring with a precision header that grazed the post.
Dominik Szoboszlai (6): The midfielder started brightly, showing positivity on the ball. Despite having a few inaccurate passes, he kept up his tireless running and managed to test the Sunderland keeper, Robin Roefs, with two shots from distance.
Florian Wirtz (7): He was credited with doing brilliantly for the eventual equalizer, though the official goal was denied by a deflection. He worked hard throughout the match to create chances and saw his effort rewarded in salvaging the draw.
Cody Gakpo (4): The forward displayed poor decision-making, frequently opting to cut inside when staying wide would have been more advantageous. He lacked quality and variation in the final third and was subsequently taken off at the half-time interval.
Alexander Isak (3): The Swedish striker was largely ineffective and “nowhere to be seen.” His only notable contribution was a moment where he jinked into space, only to wildly blast his resulting shot well over the crossbar.
Key Substitutes
Mohamed Salah (6): Played the entire second half and immediately brought an added burst of speed and intensity to the side, which looked noticeably better after his introduction.
Curtis Jones (7): Made a big impact after coming off the bench, getting stuck into tackles as Liverpool pressed hard to find a late goal.
Hugo Ekitike (6): Looked sharp and lively after being introduced, contributing significantly more than Isak did in spite of his limited playing time.