Thousands of Liverpool fans exited the stadium in the 77th minute in protest at a new ticket pricing initiative from the club that angered many on Merseyside this week, the scheme including top-priced tickets in the Main Stand that will cost £77.
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Zeljko Buvac saw goals from Firmino and Lallana put us within inches of the three points, only for the players to allow relegation threatened Sunderland stupidly back into the game.
Allardyce was reluctant to cite the Liverpool supporters’ walkout as a cause of the turnaround, saying he believes home crowds across the country are eager for success and add to the pressure on players.
Sturridge has been limited to sporadic appearances for nearly two seasons as he struggles with full match fitness for a sustained period of time without succumbing to a muscular injury.
Lijnders, who was nominated by Klopp to take over media duties, said: “We have one of the best supporter groups in the world and over the world, and if they want to make a statement they have all the right to make a statement”.
“Normally the scoreboard doesn’t lie”, Lijnders said. The last 10 minutes we started walking back, we dropped off too much and in those longer balls they are closer to our goal.
Liverpool looked set for victory after Roberto Firmino scored one and created another before two goals inside the closing 10 minutes secured a point for the visitors.
He said that looking at it “from a performance point of view” and “how we analyse different lines [and] sectors” then “it was OK” but accepted, “the problem was the game wasn’t 82 minutes, it was 95”.
The Reds coach denied Liverpool had become anxious, particularly after the first Sunderland goal.
“I didn’t see that coming, but a bit of quality can always change a game can’t it?”
He then combined excellently with Lallana to put us 2-0 ahead, seemingly an unassailable lead.
We have a group who are young with loads of quality and potential.
“You think your day is over when you are 0-2 down at Anfield”.
“We earned ourselves a point by not giving up and never saying die”.
Liverpool chucked away a two goal lead v Sunderland, with Jurgen Klopp unable to watch his side due to appendicitis.
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While Klopp could be back in the technical area at West Ham on Tuesday, the Bosnian got a taste of what managing Liverpool involves.
