The Reds are stuck in seventh place in the Premier League standings, and eighth-placed Sunderland trail them by only one point. After performing well in the Carling Cup win and the unjust loss to Arsenal, the Reds dipped sharply against Sunderland.
It was the most unremarkable game LFC has played this season, as 90 minutes passed without it creating any clear-cut chances. The field and weather conditions may have prevented the Reds from playing "the Liverpool way", but that is not the whole story.
The factors LFC could control — cohesiveness, determination and force of will — seemed to be missing from the team at the Stadium of light. Sunderland took the initiative from the start, and LFC did not respond well enough to overturn the advantage.
In short, the Reds didn't do the things they do well on Saturday, and they looked like a different group of players than the ones that have become so familiar this season. The Reds will have a chance to make amends on Tuesday, when they host Everton in the Merseyside derby. Dalglish and supporters will expect, and demand, a better from his players.
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94th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: LFC comes ever so close to tying the score. Gerrard played a ball from the goal-line across the face of goal.
Kuyt came very close to getting his head on it, but missed it by a matter of inches.
It's probably LFC's last (and best) chance.
92nd minute, 1-0 Sunderland: Downing works his way into a good shooting position, but sends his shot a dozen rows into the stands.
89th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: Sunderland is doing all it can to lock up the game.
The home team has dropped deep, packing 10 men in or around the box.
Wickham is on his own up front, with little to do. LFC is doing all the attacking at the moment.
81st minute, 1-0 Sunderland: Bendtner is down on the ground, and he will be stretchered off the field. Wickham takes his place.
Skrtel is booked for a hard tackle on the Dane.
80th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: Downing comes on for Henderson.
The former Sunderland player receives a mix of applause and jeers from his hometown crowd.
77th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: As expected, Gerrard has added a bit of drive to the LFC midfield, but the Reds have lacked more than that for most of this game.
The forwards need to do a better job of linking with midfielders (and vice-versa).
Better combination play would do well to unbalance the determined Sunderland defense as well.
75th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: Vaughn comes on for Campbell.
O'Neill is taking off a striker, and replacing him with a midfielder. You know what that means.
69th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: The other two of LFC's "iconic trio" enter the fray.
Gerrard and Carroll don't have long to have an impact on the contest, but they don't need much time either.
Bellamy and Adam come off.
66th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: LFC hasn't reacted to the goal in the manner that many supporters would have hoped.
The passing hasn't improved, and the Reds' body language doesn't suggest they will turn the game around.
Adam shoots wide to end the snooze, while Gerrard and Carroll are set to enter.
56th minute, 1-0 Sunderland: Bendtner gives the home team the lead.
Cambpell took on Skrtel, and shot through his legs from 20 yards out. It hit the post and bounced off of the head of the diving Reina, and back off the post again.
The fortunate Danish striker reacted first and thumped it in.
53rd minute, 0-0: Sunderland pins LFC back in its own end with a sustained spell of possession. It ends when young midfielder Colback rifles his shot over the bar.
It's rare to see LFC sitting so deep in its own end and allowing the opponent to pass the ball around without any pressure.
46th minute, 0-0: Neither team made any changes at halftime, and the opening moments of the second half look much like the first.
Halftime, 0-0: The referee mercifully blows his whistle and ends the first half.
It was one of the most forgettable halves of soccer you could ever see. The field and weather conditions made it difficult to play with any fluidity.
But that doesn't absolve the players. Many on both sides have performed well below their normal standards.
43rd minute, 0-0: Adam has LFC's best scoring chance of the afternoon … by accident.
His free-kick from the far touch-line gathered speed in the air, and Mignolet was forced to parry it over the bar.
38th minute, 0-0: Skrtel was turned by Campbell, but was able to recover with a last-second tackle. Some Sunderland fans wanted a penalty, but it was nowhere close to being one.
29th minute, 0-0: Mignolet makes his first save of the afternoon.
Henderson found Kuyt, who directed his header on target.
29th minute, 0-0: The wind is causing havoc on balls in the air. It is swirling around the stadium and just blew a LFC free-kick off course.
If the Reds can't play balls in the air, and can't play on the ground, what should they do?
23rd minute, 0-0: Sunderland does look far more comfortable in possession. O'Neill's group is used to such conditions.
When the home team gets into the LFC third of the field, it still relies on whipping balls into the box, looking to find the head of Campbell or Bendtner. There are no combinations or slick movement's and O'Neill wouldn't have it any other way.
21st minute, 0-0: Dalglish talked about LFC needing to learn to win ugly after last week's game. He may be some sort of soccer prophet, because the Reds will need to do so against Sunderland.
The field is so worn and patchy, it's making it nearly impossible for LFC to play its signature passing game.
A more direct approach and executing on set-pieces could be the keys to victory for Dalglish's men.
17th minute, 0-0: Sunderland has had the better of play over the last five minutes. McClean has been its chief attacking outlet. He runs at Henderson and Kelly each time he gets the ball, and has managed to put balls in the box that LFC defenders have dealt with. But the Reds haven't looked their assured best at the back.
11th minute, 0-0: Sunderland has a pair of corner kicks, but cannot manage to make anything of them. Bendtner ended the sequence with a weak shot that won't advance his case for the tag "world's best".
Seventh minute, 0-0: LFC has looked to attack Sunderland down the right in the early goings. It may be by design, as Bellamy is matched against Bardsley.
Enrique has been able to push forward and deliver crosses into the area. They haven't found their target, however.
First minute, 0-0: We are under way from the Stadium of light. The field doesn't look like it's in the best condition. Balls have already hopped, skipped, and taken the odd bounce or two.
Pregame: Sebastian Coates, 21, starts in central defense alongside Skrtel. The towering Uruguayan makes his second start in Premier League action.
He will face a stiff test in the form of England international Frazier Campbell, and self-described "best striker in the world" … Nicklas Bendtner.
Gerrard returns to action, but the LFC captain starts on the bench.
Last weekend's derby draw took a toll on Sunderland. Dynamic midfielders Lee Cattermole and Stephan Sessegnon are suspended for this contest. Colback and McClean, both 22, will look to impress O'Neill in rare starts.
9:30 a.m.: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Martin Kelly (34), right back
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Sebastian Coates (16), defender
Jose Enrique (3), left back
Charlie Adam (26), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Jay Spearing (20), midfielder
Dirk Kuyt (18), forward
Craig Bellamy (39), forward
Luis Suarez (7), forward
Substitutes
Doni (32), goalkeeper
Jamie Carragher (23), center back
Jon Flanagan (38), defender
Steve Gerrard (8), midfielder
Stuart Downing (19), midfielder
Maxi (11), forward
Andy Carroll (9), striker
Sunderland
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Phil Bardsley (2), right back
John O'Shea (16), center back
Michael Turner (4), center back
Wayne Bridge (3), left back
Sebastian Larsson (7), midfielder
Jack Colback (14), midfielder
Craig Gardner (8), midfielder
James McClean (23), midfielder
Nicklas Bendtner (52), striker
Frazier Campbell (9), striker
Substitutes
Craig Gordon (1), goalkeeper
Matthew Kilgallon (12), defender
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (25), defender
David Vaughan (15), midfielder
David Meyler (18), midfielder
Ahmed Elmohamady (27), midfielder
Conor Wickham (10), striker
Saturday, 12:00 a.m.: No new news came out of the LFC camp on Friday, and that's a good thing. There are no injuries to report, so Dalglish should have that welcome "selection headache" that managers covet.
Glen Johnson and Steve Gerrard missed last week's game against Arsenal, but the two England internationals practiced for much of the week. They should be in contention for a starting place.
The Reds will blend new and old if Dalglish picks a familiar lineup. Jamie Carragher has returned to the starting 11 with Daniel Agger sidelined due to broken ribs. He will join Martin Skrtel, Jose Enrique and either Johnson or Martin Kelly. See below for a couple of pictures from Friday's practice (courtesy of LiverpoolFC.tv).
Friday 5 a.m. ET: There's something about the upcoming away game against Sunderland that should put Liverpool supporters in a reflective mood. The 2011-12 season started back in August when these two clubs played a 1-1 draw at Anfield.
In some ways, so much has changed since they met on Aug. 13. In other ways, very little has changed. The Reds introduced Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique, and a young man named Jordan Henderson to the Anfield faithful that afternoon. The quartet have since become integral parts of the LFC squad, and lifted a major trophy with their new team.
LFC supporters also witnessed the first of eight home draws that afternoon. Stewart Downing galloped through the midfield and unleashed a shot that hit the crossbar. It was the first of 21 times LFC would be denied by the goalkeeper's best friend.
Henderson will be making a homecoming. The Sunderland academy product played 79 games for its first team from 2008-11. He made a £20 million ($31.6 million) switch to LFC in the summer, and will look to show his former club how far he has progressed.
Saturday's opponent has a brand new ethos and identity thanks to manager Martin O'Neill. After a miserable start to the season that netted just 11 points from 13 league games, Sunderland fired Steve Bruce in early December, and replaced him with a man that supported the club as a boy.
The Mackems have won 10 out of 17 games (in all competitions) they have played under O'Neill. They have earned 23 out of a possible 39 points in league play. Sunderland's progress under the Northern Irishman has been very real and very tangible, and Kenny Dalglish credits a new mentality for the transformation.
"It was a surprise to see Steve Bruce get the sack, but obviously you get the sack when results aren't great," Dalglish told LiverpoolFC.tv. "Martin hasn't brought in too many players to change that — it's the same players playing with a different attitude and more commitment.
"They've done very well since he went in there and made themselves very difficult to beat."
Watch this space for updates and news leading up to LFC-Sunderland. And make sure to join us right here on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET for all the action.
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