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Sunderland vs. Liverpool: Score and Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match
- Updated: January 2, 2017
Liverpool’s bid to win the Premier League title suffered a blow when they were held 2-2 by relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Monday.
Jermain Defoe scored twice from the penalty spot to cancel out Liverpool goals from Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane. The latter had put the Reds in front in the second half, but he was the villain when he handled a free-kick from Sebastian Larsson to gift Defoe another chance from 12 yards.
Two drop points mean Liverpool missed the chance to halve the gap to leaders Chelsea. The Blues still lead Liverpool by five points ahead of Wednesday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.
By contrast, the point is a priceless one for Sunderland, who now find themselves just one point short of safety, although they’ve played a game more than 17th-placed Crystal Palace.
Sunderland’s official Twitter account revealed a starting XI featuring former Liverpool forward Fabio Borini:
#SAFC make three changes to the starting XI for today’s game against @lfc… #SUNLIV pic.twitter.com/IKNMsljYHZ
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) January 2, 2017
As for the Reds, manager Jurgen Klopp handed Sturridge a rare start, per the club:
Confirmed #LFC squad to face @SunderlandAFC #SUNLIV pic.twitter.com/yfBx2bKOSO
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 2, 2017
Sturridge took less than 20 minutes to put Liverpool in front when he reacted to a defensive gaffe to head past Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone. However, the hosts refused to crumble in the face of Liverpool’s relentless pressing.
Sunderland were level on 25 minutes when Defoe struck from the spot after Ragnar Klavan brought down the …
