Sunderland 1 Liverpool 1: Suarez on target to spare Rodgers' blushes

If comfort and consolation is needed after a week in the history of a great football club that stretched the limits of trauma and heartache, it could be simply offered in the match statistics.
On the face of it, a result which condemned Liverpool to the worst start to a league campaign for more than a hundred years would paint a bleak picture of their current situation.
Not a bit of it. This was a performance which promised plenty, certainly not famine. They had 20 goal attempts; six on target, as opposed to Sunderland’s nine and four on target. They had 52 per cent of possession and their siege of the home goal in the second half was incessant.

Equaliser: Suarez (left) celebrates his second half strike with Raheem Sterling

MATCH FACTS

Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, Cuellar (Bramble 46), O'Shea, Rose (Campbell 72), Larsson, Colback, Cattermole, McClean, Sessegnon, Fletcher (Saha 86).
Subs not used: Westwood, Kilgallon, Ji, Meyler.
Booked: Larsson.
Goal: Fletcher 29.
Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Gerrard, Allen, Shelvey, Borini (Downing 64), Suarez, Sterling.
Subs not used: Jones, Jose Enrique, Sahin, Assaidi, Henderson, Carragher.
Booked: Skrtel, Suarez.
Goal: Suarez 71.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

Steven Gerrard was adamant that a point was the least reward they could have expected. He said: ‘We tried and, even though we were one down, we controlled the game. Their goal was against the run of play. It would have been really nice to take the three points home for the fans after the week we’ve had, and anybody who saw the game would have been proud of how we played.
‘We knew it wouldn’t happen overnight. It depends on how quickly we get the message the manager is trying to give. You saw today it won’t be long.’
Indeed it will not and the timing of next Sunday’s visit of Manchester United might be significant, not only for the team, but more especially for Brendan Rodgers.
‘We haven’t got the result we wanted but, I believe, as the season goes on, we will only get better,’ said the Liverpool manager. ‘I thought the performance was outstanding, with our creativity and movement.

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‘We went behind to a soft goal, but I thought we showed a great reaction in the second half and Luis Suarez has been brilliant. I’m sure Sunderland will be happier with the point than us.’
Sunderland’s statistics are nothing to write home about either. Their three-draw start camouflages a record of 11 successive Premier League games without a win. And Martin O’Neill admitted his team could not grumble at sharing a point. ‘Overall they probably deserved their equaliser,’ he said. Suarez was never away from the action. He raised the ire of Sunderland defenders after tumbling under a challenge from John O’Shea and getting booked by Martin Atkinson.

Eyes on the ball: Suarez takes on Gardner

But he had the last laugh with his 71st-minute equaliser, punishing a slip by second-half substitute Titus Bramble to hit a close-range volley that ended Simon Mignolet’s stubborn resistance.
Just to rub in Liverpool’s misfortune, Sunderland’s 29th-minute goal was scored by someone who was an avowed Liverpool fan as a kid.
Steven Fletcher continued his remarkable run since his £12million move from Wolves during the summer with his third goal in two starts for his new club — his fifth in his last five games. Craig Gardner should be credited with the spadework.

Plenty to ponder: Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers (right)

The full-back charged down the right, evaded two challenges, before delivering a low cross for Fletcher to punish more poor defending, firstly by Pepe Reina, who failed to cut it, then by Martin Skrtel, who also missed it, to turn the ball in.
O’Neill added: ‘I am delighted for Steven Fletcher and the crowd have quickly taken to him. Strikers are judged by their goals and he took that one brilliantly.’