As disappointing as the end result was, especially after a cracking first half that saw Liverpool take the game to Sunderland, there were still positives to take away from Saturday's opening day draw at Anfield. Luis Suarez may have quite obviously tired in the second half, but it was his first game back and from a fitness standpoint served the same purpose as the early preseason games in China did for most of the squad, and before he did run out of gas he showed the same deadly form that he brought to Liverpool throughout the second half of last season and to Uruguay when he was named player of the tournament for leading his country to Copa America glory. Stewart Downing again showed flashes of brilliance, even if he wasn't as consistent as against Valencia the week before. And though far from perfect, Charlie Adam didn't look out of place beside Lucas in the centre of midfield, while up front Andy Carroll was promising after an at times frustratingly anonymous preseason.
But especially with Fabio Aurelio once again out to a mystery injury and Emiliano Insua clearly out of favour, the real point of interest for Liverpool fans in a match that saw no true standout performance will have been Jose Enrique. After being signed and having his medical on Thursday, and then taking part in a brief pre-match training session on Friday, few expected Enrique to make the starting eleven—with some going so far as to predict he wouldn't even find room on the bench. In the end, though, not only did he start, but he put in a solid shift.
Perhaps he didn't do anything truly spectacular, and technically it may also have been the debut for new boys Adam, Downing, and Henderson, but with all of them seeing significant minutes throughout preseason, Enrique's was the debut that mattered. One decent display is hardly enough to call Liverpool's never-ending left back nightmare over once and for all, but it's promising, and given the disappointing result it's good to have something unquestionably positive to take away from it all.
Video compiled by El Pistolero via FootyLounge