It is not as if Brendan Rodgers did not warn Liverpool fans what to expect
Steven Gerrard watched on as a frustrated substitute for 67 minutes as his team struggled to breakdown a suddenly doughty Sunderland side. The Black Cats held Chelsea scoreless last weekend and repeated the dose at Anfield this afternoon.
The two best chances of the first half fell to the visitors as Wes Brown headed over and an unmarked Conor Wickham flashed a volley wide. Rodgers turned to Gerrard midway through the second half as Adam Lallana was hooked off.
The midfielder’s best contribution saw him release Raheem Sterling with a slide-rule pass. The winger teed up Philippe Coutinho but his low effort was well saved by Costel Pantilimon. Sterling had a late penalty appeal waved away and Jordi Gomez test Simon Mignolet from long range.
The point sees Liverpool remain in ninth but, with Chelsea and Arsenal dropping points and Manchester United taking on Southampton at St Mary’s on Monday, Rodgers would have been aiming for the maximum.
The manager will hope his selection gamble pays off when FC Basel visit Anfield for the final Champions League group game on Tuesday. He had indicated, following Liverpool’s midweek win over Leicester, that Gerrard would be rested at certain stages of the season when he felt it appropriate.
