NOT for the first time this season, Liverpool’s wounds were self inflicted.
The rogue red beach ball which was tossed into Pepe Reina’s penalty area by a visiting supporter played a starring role in inflicting a demoralising third successive defeat on Rafael Benitez’s side.
Darren Bent’s fifth-minute shot was heading straight into Reina’s grateful arms before it took a wicked deflection off what the laws of the game define as an “outside influence” and flew past the goalkeeper.
Of course it should have been chalked off by hapless referee Mike Jones but this was no hard luck story and complaints from the Liverpool camp were rightly thin on the ground.
The bizarre goal ultimately proved to be the game’s defining moment but only wasteful finishing from Sunderland and some heroics from Reina saved the visitors from greater embarrassment.
Three weeks ago Rafael Benitez’s side were hailed as genuine title contenders after ruthlessly hitting Hull for six. That was a sixth straight win in all competitions and confidence was oozing through their veins.
But the subsequent alarming slump has left their campaign at a crossroads.
A fourth league defeat in nine games means the vultures are starting to circle and Benitez finds himself facing a massive week which could make or break the club’s season.
Victory over Lyon at Anfield tomorrow night is crucial to hopes of Champions League progress, but even more important is Sunday’s league clash with leaders Manchester United at Anfield.
Seven points isn’t an insurmountable gap at this stage of the season but lose to United and Liverpool’s hopes of ending their 20-year wait for the domestic crown really will be over. Of course any title talk after a performance like Saturday’s is crazy.
Forget top spot, with Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa looking like posing a genuine threat this season, Liverpool should be worried about finishing in the top four if they produce any more horror shows like this one in the North East.
Fiorentina and Chelsea made Liverpool pay for some glaring errors and Sunderland added a third helping of misery.
And it was all so excruciatingly predictable.
