A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline
The glaring focus that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great shifted to another on Anfield's latest desperate night.
Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his struggles this campaign - and was relegated to the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday.
But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive rock as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of top honors, whose poor form became the focus during the 1-1 draw.
The Experienced Pair and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of offering extensions to a veteran duo much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.
In fact, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that performance has dipped concerningly for both.
A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending
Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like its worth.
At the same time, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.
Van Dijk has not been helped by defensive partner 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 proved by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
An Incident That Summed Up The Struggle
It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk losing possession before standing off and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that hit him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.
Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment.
"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops off. It's the incorrect choice. 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's slipping up and hesitating."
The Numbers and Missing Leadership
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be discarded after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a glittering Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual dominant persona 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was missing here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to seize the initiative by the scruff of the neck.
Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an makeshift forward, was indicative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule.
Liverpool Without Spark
Slot stayed with the side that stopped a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more observing from the sidelines.
The Egyptian emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective after scoring his first with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.
Slot would have been under even more pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.
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 dribbled past keeper Alisson.
Praise Deserved and The Road Forward
Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson fortunate 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 lethargic, unimaginative and short on invention. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried little conviction. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart.
But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were positive, assured 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 back to the drawing board.