EPL: Liverpool Held to 1-1 Draw by Sunderland at Anfield

Sunderland frustrate Liverpool in 1-1 draw

Liverpool's struggles continue as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland at Anfield, with Florian Wirtz's deflected shot securing a point for the Reds.

Liverpool struggled to find their scoring touch, failing to score in the first half of four successive Premier League matches...

Liverpool's struggles continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by high-flying Sunderland at Anfield. A late Nordi Mukiele own goal rescued a point for the Reds, who were made to work hard for the stalemate.

Liverpool started strongly, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz testing Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs, but the visitors threatened to steal the show. Sunderland's pressure eventually paid off, and Liverpool's misery was compounded by a poor first-half performance.

Cody Gakpo was influential for Liverpool, but Sunderland's pressure mounted, and Trai Hume's thunderous strike was only tipped onto the bar by Alisson. The visitors continued to threaten, and it was a matter of time before they got a goal.

Sunderland's push for a goal was intense, and they nearly got the breakthrough just before half time, but Alexis Mac Allister headed Joe Gomez's cross against the post, keeping Liverpool in the game.

Liverpool struggled to find their scoring touch, failing to score in the first half of four successive Premier League matches for the first time since February 2023. This led manager Arne Slot to shake things up, introducing Mohamed Salah at halftime. The hosts had another promising spell after the break, but Sunderland remained a threat, with Omar Alderete's near-post header narrowly missing the target.

Sunderland's pressing play became increasingly troublesome for Liverpool, and they capitalized on their pressure with a stunning opener just over 20 minutes to go. Chemsdine Talbi pounced on a Virgil van Dijk error, unleashing a powerful shot that deflected off the Liverpool captain and nestled into the far corner, leaving Alisson stranded.

The points are shared between @LFC and @SunderlandAFC 🤝 pic.twitter.com/6x7U4xD3qA

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 3, 2025

Sunderland defended well, but Liverpool's persistence paid off in the 81st minute, as they equalized through a Nordi Mukiele own goal, salvaging a point for the Reds.

Florian Wirtz's shot deflected off Nordi Mukiele and into the net, salvaging a point for Liverpool. The Reds poured forward in search of a winner, but Sunderland's counter-attacking threat was evident, and Wilson Isidor's late chance was blocked by Federico Chiesa on the line.

Liverpool's late push for a winner was intense, but Sunderland's resilience earned them a valuable point. The draw marked Liverpool's first stalemate in any competition this season.

Sunderland will be g disappointed not to take all three points, and a first win at Anfield since 1983, after a confident display, while there is still a lot of work to do behind the scenes at Liverpool. The Black Cats were the better team for much of the game and looked poised to taste victory for the first time at Anfield since 1983 after Chemsdine Talbi scored in the 67th minute.