The Reds of Liverpool stumbled again at Anfield, as stubborn Sunderland held the home team scoreless to snare a road point.
The point sees Liverpool in ninth place, 4 points off the Top Four, while Sunderland moves two points clear of relegation
The game also brought a rare Premier League start for USMNT forward Jozy Altidore, who subbed off after 70 minutes.
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Pantilimon dove to snare a low shot from Coutinho in the 26th minute. It wasn’t even considered a shot on target, as the teams combined for a total of four shot attempts in the first 45 minutes.
Frankly, Liverpool looked out of sorts but were clearly the superior side.
They came to life in the second half, albeit without that finishing edge. Jordan Henderson sailed a dangerous free kick wide in the 61st minute, and perhaps that was the cue for Steven Gerrard.
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The captain came on and played a tremendous ball for Coutinho, who made a mess of his dribble into the box and was booked for a dive.
Coutinho was then sprung for a dangerous chance from the right of the box after a thrilling run and pass from Raheem Sterling, but Pantilimon saved the day.
Lineups
Liverpool: Mignolet, Johnson, Moreno, Toure, Skrtel, Lucas, Henderson, Coutinho (Markovic, 78'), Sterling, Lallana (Gerrard, 67'), Lambert
Sunderland: Pantilimon, Vergini, Reveillere, O’Shea, Brown, Bridcutt, Larsson (Cattermole, 70'), Gomez, Johnson (Buckley, 79'), Wickham, Altidore (Alvarez, 70')
