Anfield shivered on a cold Merseyside night but the crowd felt an even icier chill from a Liverpool side once again short of spark and swagger. Arne Slot watched his fading champions stumble to a 1 1 draw and he knew deep down that even this point owed more to luck than authority.
Liverpool needed a late slice of fortune to avoid another bruising home defeat. Sunderland arrived with confidence and purpose and they left with the respect of the entire stadium after a performance full of belief. The visitors took the lead midway through the second half when Chemsdine Talbi let fly from distance. His effort clipped Virgil van Dijk and the touch wrong footed Alisson before drifting into the corner. It was no more than the Black Cats deserved.
Sunderland had already sounded the alarm in a first half that left Liverpool supporters wondering where their champions had gone. Trai Hume almost stunned Anfield with a rising hit that Alisson pushed onto the bar. Omar Alderete then climbed highest after the interval and smacked a header off the post. Liverpool were hanging on.
Slot had kept Mohamed Salah on the bench after the weekend win at West Ham but the Egyptian was thrown on at the break in search of urgency. Even he could not drag life from a side moving the ball with all the pace of a Sunday stroll. Only a crisp strike from Alex Mac Allister that rattled the woodwork hinted at any threat before the late drama arrived.
With time slipping away, Florian Wirtz tried his luck from the edge of the area. His shot struck Nordi Mukiele and looped beyond the helpless Robin Roefs. Liverpool celebrated but the finish owed everything to a defender in the wrong place at the wrong moment.
Sunderland nearly snatched glory deep into stoppage time. Substitute Wilson Isidor sprinted clear with the travelling support already rising in anticipation. He attempted to glide around Alisson only for Federico Chiesa to appear from nowhere and hook the ball off the line. It was a heroic rescue that spared Liverpool utter humiliation.
Slot will worry that this display followed so soon after talk that the win in London signalled a revival. Nine defeats in twelve had already drained belief and this lifeless effort suggested the slump is far from over. Alexander Isak barely touched the ball. The crowd barely made a sound. Anfield felt flat.
The night belonged to Sunderland. Regis le Bris has built a side full of courage and control and their league position now looks no accident. Granit Xhaka ran midfield with the ease of a veteran enjoying his best football. Roefs never looked ruffled. The away fans roared from first whistle to last.
Sunderland left with a point and the feeling they could easily have taken all three. Liverpool left with relief and the uncomfortable truth that champions should be doing far better than this.