A Fading Figure of His Dominant Stature - Van Dijk Grapples With Waning Influence
The intense focus that has centered around one elite Liverpool legend switched to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night.
Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his poor form this season - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday.
But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive rock as Liverpool have collected the full collection of top honors, whose dip in performance took center stage during the stalemate.
The Experienced Pair and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of offering extensions to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start.
In fact, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no avoiding the brutal reality that performance has dipped alarmingly for both.
Backline Issues and Summer Spending
Liverpool have been susceptible in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like its worth.
At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.
Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his rash handball that gave away a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
An Incident That Encapsulated The Issue
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before backing away and turning away on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.
Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.
"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just backs off. It's the incorrect choice. 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 impeccable. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's slipping up and doubting himself."
Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off after claiming two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a glittering Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a shadow 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was absent here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to take control by the initiative.
Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was symptomatic of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard.
Liverpool Without Spark
Slot persisted with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more observing from the sidelines.
The Egyptian came on at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after getting off the mark with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.
Slot would have been under even more pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.
Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's superb tracking back allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had beaten keeper Alisson.
Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead
Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson fortunate 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, labored and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has fallen apart.
But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were adventurous, confident and dangerous.
Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 a case of going back to basics.