Sunderland vs. Liverpool: Score and Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match

Liverpool's bid to win the Premier League title suffered a blow when they were held 2-2 by relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Monday.

Jermain Defoe scored twice from the penalty spot to cancel out goals from Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane. The latter had put the Reds in front in the second half, but he was the villain when he handled a free-kick from Sebastian Larsson to gift the former Tottenham Hotspur man another chance from 12 yards.

Two dropped points mean Liverpool missed the chance to halve the gap to leaders Chelsea. The Blues still lead the Reds by five points ahead of their game at Tottenham on Wednesday.

By contrast, the point is a priceless one for Sunderland, who now find themselves just one short of safety, although they have played a game more than 17th-placed Crystal Palace.

Sunderland's official Twitter account revealed a starting XI featuring former Liverpool forward Fabio Borini:

As for the Reds, manager Jurgen Klopp handed Sturridge a rare start, per the club:

Sturridge took less than 20 minutes to put Liverpool in front when he reacted to a defensive gaffe to head past Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone. However, the hosts refused to crumble in the face of Liverpool's relentless pressing.

Sunderland were level on 25 minutes when Defoe struck from the spot after Ragnar Klavan brought down the influential Didier Ndong in the area. The successful conversion underlined Sunderland's reliance on the veteran goal-getter, per Squawka:

Sunderland's equaliser was more than merited thanks to the way they carried the fight in midfield. Ndong and Jack Rodwell made sure Liverpool struggled to establish any fluency with their passing.

Things were deadlocked at the break, but Liverpool should have been back in front just over 10 minutes into the second half. The Reds produced a superb move that ought to have ended with Mane turning in a whipped cross from right-back Nathaniel Clyne, but the winger missed the ball completely.

Moments later, the Black Cats were denied what should have been a second penalty when Borini's pass was stopped by the arm by midfielder Emre Can. Sunderland protests were waved away, but the home side soon carved out another excellent chance.

Defoe pounced on a deflected shot from Borini, but the 34-year-old striker's effort was turned away by a last-ditch block. The momentum was clearly with Sunderland, though, as Klopp's title-chasing side looked a little rattled.

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Another former Reds player, full-back Javier Manquillo, entered the game to replace Rodwell after 65 minutes as Sunderland boss David Moyes looked for more solidity at the back.

Moyes was no doubt expecting a Liverpool onslaught in the final 25 minutes, and it duly came when Sturridge drew Mannone into a terrific save. The Reds didn't have to wait long to go back in front, though.

It was Mane who got the away side's second after he pounced on a deflection from a corner to prod in on 72 minutes. Sunderland felt the Senegal international was offside, but the ball had appeared to take a touch off the unfortunate Ndong.

Mane's disputed finish showed the £34 million man has proved value for money since signing from Southampton last summer, according to Squawka:

Yet the Reds soon found their attack weakened when the brittle Sturridge again suffered a problem, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

It was substitute Lucas Leiva who couldn't stay with Defoe when the wily striker spun him on the edge of the area. Mane handled the resulting free-kick from Larsson to hand the Black Cats forward another opportunity from the spot, a chance he emphatically put away.

Liverpool predictably peppered the Sunderland goal during injury time. A series of free-kicks tested the home defence, who stayed deep to resist the pressure.

Mannone was equal to Adam Lallana's late shot from distance, as the Black Cats ultimately hung on for a useful point.

Post-Match Reaction

Klopp refused to be downcast about the draw and told Sky Sports: "No, they are not (crucial points dropped). Think about it, the others have to play, and there are a lot of games to go. It's not nice for us."

Klopp also questioned the decision to award a free-kick before Defoe's second penalty, per Sky Sports: "There was no foul before the second free-kick and then penalty, there was no foul that is very difficult."

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As for Moyes, he referenced Klopp's previous claim Sunderland were "the most defensive team I ever saw," following a 2-0 win at Anfield back in November, per the Daily Telegraph's Luke Edwards: "I'm feeling we weren't too defensive today."

Instead, Moyes praised the way his players made the visitors uncomfortable: "I honestly thought the players raised the supporters by the way they got up to Liverpool, how they put them under pressure, how they pressed them."

Sunderland succeeded in upsetting Liverpool's rhythm, but Moyes' side may have inflicted more lasting damage on the Reds' title bid.