In losing Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo), Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique) and Habib Diarra (Senegal), Sunderland will be without players who have played a cumulative 4,412 minutes and 61 appearances in the Premier League this season a higher total than any other side. Sadiki has missed just 26 minutes in the league this season and looks to be their biggest miss of all.
It's so disappointing, we know our performance was not what it needed to be. But, no, I don't think it will define our season. Nothing is lost today, it was a game of very few chances settled by a freak goal and we couldn't create the openings we wanted. The effort was there but the quality wasn't. We were disappointed with our creative output. We haven't delivered. It's difficult to take.
Another poor result for Liverpool as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw against Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night. What should have been a routine victory for the reigning champions instead became another stumbling block in a season that is rapidly spiraling out of control. Despite having home advantage, the Reds were second best for most part of the game.
Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League this summer was impressive on a number of levels. A head coach in Regis Le Bris, in his first season in English football, laying waste to the theory of needing significant time to adapt working within the cut and thrust of the Championship. A club who had only returned to the second tier in 2022, without parachute payments to boost spending on transfer fees and wages. But all underpinned by an incredibly youthful squad - their average starting age of 23 years and 316 days was the youngest in the division - with academy graduates forming a consistent core.
