Suarez strikes in Sunderland draw
Luis Suarez's goalscoring return could not inspire Liverpool to an opening day victory as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
The Copa America winner looked to have set Kenny Dalglish's men on the way to three points when he made amends for an early missed penalty with a superb header on 13 minutes.
However, despite dominating for large spells the hosts could not make their superiority count and they were made to pay when the Black Cats hit back through Sebastian Larsson's 57th minute volley.
It capped a frustrating afternoon for Liverpool who were by far the better side in the opening 45 minutes and could easily have run out comfortable victors had they made their early chances count.
Heading into the encounter, the boss opted to give a quartet of new signings their competitive bow with Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique and Stewart Downing joining Jordan Henderson in the line-up.
The former Sunderland starlet admitted in the lead up to the game that it would be a strange feeling to come up against his old team but there was no doubt his mind was firmly set on securing three points for his new team.
Click on the play button below to watch some of Suarez's best moments v Sunderland
A fervent atmosphere greeted the two sides as they got the new season underway and the sight of Suarez joining Andy Carroll in attack only added to the air of expectation inside the ground.
The No.7 is already a darling of the Kop and on seven minutes his hunger to regain possession should have resulted in the opener.
The Uruguayan charged down Kieran Richardson's attempted clearance and rampaged in on goal. The Sunderland midfielder desperately looked to make amends and clipped Suarez's heels as he rounded Simon Mignolet.
It was a clear penalty and a strong case for a straight red card but referee Phil Dowd settled for a yellow, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.
Up stepped Suarez but his confident run-up proved to be deceptive as he hammered the ball high into the Anfield Road end.
Lesser players would have allowed the miss to affect their game - but not Suarez.
The impish striker continued to demand the ball from his teammates and after Downing's low cross was almost turned home by Henderson, he made amends in style.
Adam whipped a trademark right-wing free-kick into the penalty area where our No.7 peeled off his marker before guiding a delightful near post header beyond Mignolet on 13 minutes.
It was the perfect start for Dalglish's side and on 20 minutes they almost doubled their lead with only the referee's assistant's flag denying Carroll a goal after Downing had picked him out with a pinpoint centre.
Next, Adam tried his luck from distance, forcing Mignolet to pat down a rasping 35 yarder.
There was a swagger to Liverpool's play with Suarez often at the centre of it, orchestrating some flowing moves with his neat touch and innate vision.
A sublime turn and pass almost put Lucas Leiva in on goal just shy of the half hour mark but Sunderland managed to deny the Brazilian at the vital moment.
The visitors were lucky to just be the one goal behind and they were thanking the crossbar on 34 minutes when Downing's marauding run from the right ended with a shot that left the woodwork shaking.
Click on the play button below to watch Downing's blistering effort
Steve Bruce looked a frustrated figure on the touchline and he was frowning again soon after when Lucas was allowed to gain possession deep in Black Cats territory and fire a low drive just wide.
There had been very little evidence of the visitors as an attacking force but they did give the Reds a scare moments before the interval when a teasing free-kick by Larsson was missed by Pepe Reina. Fortunately for the home team no Sunderland players were on hand to take advantage.
There was much to be pleased by as supporters discussed the key incidents over a half-time cup of tea, while there was also a notable presentation for matchday DJ George Sephton who was celebrating 40 years at Anfield.
Indeed, Liverpool had set the standard in the first 45 but they were almost made to pay for some overconfidence on 52 minutes.
Jon Flanagan was caught in possession by Larsson who whipped in a cross that Asamoah Gyan could only guide straight at Reina.
Click on the play button below to watch the best of the action in 15 minutes
It was a let off for the youngster and Liverpool responded by carving out some opportunities of their own.
First Carroll powered an 18 yard header just off target before the England striker came within a whisker of getting on the end of Enrique's devilish centre.
It looked like normal service had been resumed but on 57 minutes Sunderland stunned Anfield with the equaliser.
A deep cross by Ahmed Elmohamady evaded everyone in the Liverpool defence, allowing Larsson the time to set himself and despatch a fine volley past Reina.
It was a huge blow for Dalglish and co who could easily have been three or four goals to the good. The equaliser really did knock the flow right out of their play and Sunderland began to gain a foothold in the game.
Chances at both ends seemed to have dried up as the contest entered the latter stages until Carroll looked to change things with a neat turn and shot which deflected just wide.
The sight of a tired Suarez making way for Raul Meireles with 15 minutes left at least offered the Reds the impetus of a fresh pair of legs, but they could do little to muster the rallying cry needed to claim the win they craved.
Liverpoolfc.tv Man of the Match: Luis Suarez