A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Fights Waning Influence

The unforgiving attention that has fallen upon one elite Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's most recent frustrating night.

The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday.

But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive rock as Liverpool have secured the complete set of top honors, whose struggles took center stage during the stalemate.

The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of offering extensions to a veteran duo much closer to the end of their careers than the start.

In fact, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no denying the stark fact that performance has dipped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been susceptible in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department embarked on a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like its worth.

Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has received little support by center-back colleague 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 panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Encapsulated The Struggle

It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk losing possession before backing away and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that hit him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment.

"Van Dijk surrenders possession and then he just retreats. 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 imperious, but right now he's erring and doubting himself."

Performance Metrics and A Lack of Command

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be discarded after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career.

He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual imperious self this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while key defensive stats 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 motivating a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the throat.

Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was symptomatic of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule.

A Side Lacking Ideas

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 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 anonymous 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 avoided defeat in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's excellent defensive sprint allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had beaten keeper Alisson.

Credit Due and The Road Forward

Slot and his underperforming defending champions ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky 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, ponderous and short on invention. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has collapsed.

But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were proactive, confident and threatening.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic 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 time for reflection.