A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Battles A Dip in Form
The unforgiving attention that has been trained on one global Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night.
The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his subpar performances this season - and was relegated to the bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats visited on Wednesday.
But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive rock as Liverpool have swept up the complete set of major trophies, whose dip in performance became the focus during the 1-1 draw.
The Experienced Pair and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool question asked at the idea of securing the futures to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start.
In fact, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that performance has dipped concerningly for both.
Backline Issues and Summer Spending
Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer rebuild that has not yet shown anything like a good return.
Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018.
Van Dijk has not been helped by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also had significant difficulties, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
A Sequence That Encapsulated The Struggle
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk losing possession before standing off and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.
Misfortune at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his uncharacteristic failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.
"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just backs off. It's the mistake. He needs to go to the ball. Him not making the decision means that no one else knows what to do."
"Virgil Van Dijk last season was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself."
Statistical Decline and A Leadership Void
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be written off after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a glittering Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual dominant persona this season, with the lowest recovery numbers per game during his Liverpool career, while tackles and interceptions are also down on last season.
And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was missing here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to take control by the initiative.
Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the exception rather than the rule.
A Side Without Spark
Slot kept faith with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines.
The Egyptian was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.
Slot would have been under greater pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale.
Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's outstanding recovery run allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had rounded keeper Alisson.
Credit Due and Looking Ahead
Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson blessed to turn Trai Hume's shot onto the bar in the first half before Omar Alderete headed against the post after the interval.
Liverpool were slow, unimaginative and devoid of creativity. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Displays like this are the reason their defense of their crown has crumbled.
But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were positive, assured and a genuine threat.
Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is indicative of the manner in which they have grown into life in the Premier League that they will be disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.
For Slot and Liverpool, it is back to the drawing board.
