Wirtz’s Late Leveller Salvages Point for Struggling Liverpool Against Resilient Sunderland

By Alex Turner and Suraj Karowa/ ANW
December 4, 2025

Florian Wirtz delivers but lacklustre Liverpool are held by Sunderland.

In a pulsating Premier League clash that exposed the chasm between expectation and reality for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, the reigning champions were forced to settle for a gritty 1-1 draw against newly promoted Sunderland at Anfield.

Florian Wirtz’s 81st-minute deflected effort, which wrong-footed Nordi Mukiele into an unfortunate own goal, rescued a point for the hosts after Chemsdine Talbi’s first-half strike had threatened to hand the Black Cats their first victory here since 1983.

Yet, even as the Kop faithful exhaled in relief, the performance left a bitter aftertaste—one that underscores Liverpool’s alarming slide into mid-table mediocrity.

The match, played under the floodlights on a crisp Merseyside evening, began with Sunderland’s high-octane press catching Liverpool off guard.

Chemsdine Talbi’s shot flies beyond Alisson to give Sunderland the lead.

Régis Le Bris’s side, buoyed by their surprise position above the champions in the standings, arrived with the swagger of underdogs who believe they belong.

Brian Brobbey, making his Premier League debut up top, terrorized Ibrahima Konaté with his blend of pace and power, while midfield maestros Noah Sadiki and Enzo Le Fée dictated the tempo.

It was a far cry from the laboured efforts Liverpool had mustered in recent weeks, where 10 defeats in 14 outings have turned Anfield from fortress to fragile outpost.

The visitors’ confidence paid dividends midway through the first half. Dominik Szoboszlai’s errant touch gifted Trai Hume a shooting chance from 25 yards, his rasping drive forcing Alisson Becker into a desperate parry onto the crossbar.

The rebound eluded danger, but the warning was clear: Sunderland were not here to park the bus.

Liverpool flickered sporadically—Wirtz and Alexander Isak, fresh from modest gains at West Ham, combined neatly on one break, only for Isak’s cut-back to sail harmlessly wide.

Alexis Mac Allister came closest, rising unmarked to meet Joe Gomez’s inviting cross, his header thudding against the post with Robin Roefs rooted to his line.

Frustration mounted among the home support as Cody Gakpo, deployed wide in a fluid 4-3-3, struggled in duels and deliveries.

Slot, sensing the malaise, turned to his talisman at the interval. Mohamed Salah, benched for the second successive game—a first in his Anfield annals—replaced the Dutchman, with Szoboszlai drifting centrally and Wirtz switching flanks.

“We needed a spark, a moment of quality,” Slot admitted post-match. “Cody’s one-v-ones weren’t sharp enough, and the crosses weren’t finding their mark. Mo brings that edge.”

The second half ignited with promise. Omar Alderete, the towering Sunderland centre-back, rose highest to meet Le Fée’s inswinging corner, his header grazing the upright as Anfield held its breath.

Liverpool, for all their possession dominance (67% to Sunderland’s 33%), lacked incision.

Virgil van Dijk, the skipper whose lapses have become worryingly frequent, epitomized the malaise in the 67th minute.

Attempting a routine clearance, he miskicked straight to Le Fée, who teed up Talbi on the right. The winger’s low drive, intended for the near post, clipped Van Dijk’s posterior and looped cruelly over Alisson into the far corner.

It was the 11th time in 14 games Liverpool had fallen behind first, and the boos that rippled around the stadium spoke volumes. Isak and Andy Robertson’s subsequent turnovers only amplified the discontent.

Sunderland, sensing blood, hunkered down with Granit Xhaka— the metronomic ex-Arsenal man—shielding their backline.

But cracks appeared as fatigue set in. In the 81st minute, Talbi’s momentary lapse allowed Curtis Jones to pilfer possession deep in Black Cats territory.

Wirtz, the German prodigy whose £100m summer move now feels like Liverpool’s last unqualified success, seized the moment.

He jinked past Reinildo Mandava and Dan Ballard with balletic poise before unleashing a left-footed curler.

Mukiele, lunging in desperation, could only divert it past the helpless Roefs. Anfield erupted, Wirtz wheeling away in jubilation as Slot punched the air from his technical area—a rare show of emotion from the Dutch tactician.

The equaliser injected urgency into Liverpool’s veins. Late set-pieces peppered Roefs’ domain, with Isak and Wirtz probing relentlessly.

Salah, injecting his trademark menace, drew a smart stop from the Belgian keeper, while Gravenberch’s long-range thunderbolt whistled inches wide.

Yet, the drama peaked in the 94th minute. A Sunderland corner was half-cleared, but Wilson Isidor— the pacy sub introduced for Brobbey—latched onto Roefs’ pinpoint lofted pass.

He rounded Alisson with predatory instinct, only for Federico Chiesa to storm back and hack the finish off the line.

The Italian forward, thrown on in pursuit of victory, celebrated wildly, arms aloft to the Kop.

“Fede could’ve switched off, but he tracked back like a warrior,” Slot beamed. “That block was the difference—the draw’s the least we merited.”

Le Bris, Sunderland’s poised Frenchman, cut a philosophical figure. “This is our baptism in the big time,” he said. “We’re learning, adapting.

A point here? We’ll take it, but we smelled victory.” His charges depart Merseyside with heads high, their high-pressing blueprint earning plaudits and a share of the spoils against a giant.

For Liverpool, it’s another data point in a season of disillusion: ninth in the table, nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal, and whispers of unrest growing louder.

Slot’s post-match spin was defiant. “We’re close—set-pieces, moments of magic. The players are grinding through this.”

But as the whistle blew, one truth lingered: champions don’t draw with promoted sides at home.

Anfield demands more, and with Manchester City looming, time is running out for redemption.

Match Stats:
Possession: Sunderland 33%, Liverpool 67%

Shots (on target): Sunderland 8 (4), Liverpool 9 (5)

Corners: Sunderland 3, Liverpool 7

Fouls: Sunderland 10, Liverpool 4
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Gomez,

Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai (Jones 65); Wirtz, Gakpo (Salah 46), Isak (Ekitike 74).

Subs not used: Mamardashvili, Endo, Kerkez, Chiesa (86).

Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Roefs; Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Mandava; Hume, Xhaka; Talbi, Sadiki (Isidor 62), Le Fée (Geertruida 79); Brobbey (O’Nien 90).