Liverpool v Sunderland: Minute-by-Minute

Relive the action from a frustrating afternoon at Anfield with our minute-by-minute match report...

14:00 GMT: Match Starts

1 mins: Sunderland kick off attacking the Kop.

2 mins: Steven Gerrard gets a rousing reception from the Kop as he warms up on the touchline.

5 mins: Heskey's shot from just outside the box is deflected wide for the games first corner.

6 mins: Babbel fires high over the bar from point-blank range following a delivery by Murphy on the left.

10 mins: Owen rolls the ball tamely into the arms of Macho after capitalising on a weak defensive header by Craddock.

14 mins: Murphy volleys over from the edge of the box.

15 mins: Murphy tries his luck from a similar position again. This time his shot is deflected onto the bar and Diao fires the rebound wide.

18 mins: Hamann shoots narrowly wide with a low effort through a crowded penalty area.

25 mins: Murphy reacts angrily after being kicked in the head by Flo.

26 mins: Owen leaps highest to meet Murphy's free-kick but his header is tipped superbly around the post by Macho.

34 mins: Owen's long-range drive flies inches wide of the Sunderland upright.

35 mins: Great play by Owen sets Murphy up on the edge of the box but he's again denied by Macho who parries the shot with a fine diving save to his left.

38 mins: Murphy shoots into the arms of Macho as Liverpool pile on the pressure.

40 mins: Hamann receives treatment after clashing heads with McCann.

42 mins: Booking: Joachim Bjorkland: for a foul on Heskey.

44 mins: Hyypia glances a header into the arms of Macho following a Murphy free-kick.

14:47 GMT: Half Time Reached

15:04 GMT: Second Half Begins

55 mins: Smicer fails to keep his shot down from the edge of the box after being set up by Diao and the ball sails high into the Kop.

60 mins: Hamman is unable to find the target with a speculative shot from 25-yards out.

65 mins: Substitution: Paul Thirlwell for Kevin Phillips:

66 mins: Substitution: El-Hadji Diouf for Vladimir Smicer:

66 mins: Substitution: John Arne Riise for Jamie Carragher:

67 mins: Diouf's first contribution is to slice an angled shot wide.

69 mins: Owen fails to get any real power with a close-range effort and Macho saves comfortably.

72 mins: Substitution: Kevin Kyle for Tore Andre Flo:

75 mins: Diao heads wide from a Murphy corner.

83 mins: McCartney heads off the line as the Liverpool pressure continues and from the resultant corner Murphy forces Macho to tip

over.

84 mins: Substitution: Marcus Stewart for Michael Proctor:

15:53 GMT: Match Over