Doctor sentenced to 30 months in prison over death of Matthew Perry

A California doctor has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for selling ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry — the first criminal conviction over the death of the actor, who was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in October 2023.

Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 44, who ran an urgent-care clinic in Malibu, California, was one of five people federally charged after the 54-year-old Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the hit NBC show from 1994 to 2004, died of a drug overdose.

During an emotion-charged hearing on Wednesday, Plasencia turned to Perry’s family and directly apologized for his role in the star’s tragic end, telling them: “I am just so sorry.”

Plasencia repeatedly wiped his brow throughout, as he told the court how he would one day have to explain his role to his young son.

“I failed to protect a mother’s son. I failed Mr. Perry, I failed his family and I failed myself,” the disgraced doctor said.

Plasencia, who had been due to go on trial in August before reaching a plea deal, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett in Los Angeles federal court. He pleaded guilty on July 23 to four counts of distribution of ketamine.

He was not charged with selling the dose that actually caused Perry’s death.

In sentencing him to 30 months behind bars, with a $5,600 fine, Judge Garnett scolded Plasencia for breaking his oath as a doctor but said her sentence would not be based on “public opinion.”

“It does not feel like a caring doctor/patient relationship; it feels like selling drugs for profit,” she told him.

And she added: ”You took an oath to do no harm, but you did harm.”

“You exploited Mr Perry’s addiction for your own profit, to the tune of $55,000. You and others helped Mr Perry to stay on the road to such an ending by helping to feed his ketamine addiction.”

Investigators say that Perry was found dead in his hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023, by his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who was the person who injected the actor with the ketamine that led to his death.

Court documents stated that Iwamasa had no medical training and “knew little if anything” about administering controlled substances.

Prosecutors say that in the four days leading up to Perry’s death, Iwamasa gave him more than 20 shots of ketamine, with three on the actual day he died.

In December 2023, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office declared that Perry passed away from the “acute effects of ketamine.”

The autopsy report also cited drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, which is a drug used to treat opioid use disorder, as contributing to his death.

During the hearing, Perry’s mother, Suzanne, told the court that her son had been “one of the strongest men” she had ever known, despite his health issues.

“I used to think that he could not die, he would not die, he would rise out of the most critical situations. You would get a phone call that he had made it through the night and that he would be okay.”

She went on to criticize doctors giving patients drugs, “destroying people, destroying human beings.”

She also slammed Plasencia’s description in a text message of her son as a “moron.”

“This is my boy. I knew how addicted he was year after year. But he survived it all only to be handed stuff and called a moron. There was nothing moronic about him.”

And she finally told Plasencia, who was immediately taken into custody after his sentencing: “This was a bad thing you did.”

Prosecutors say that Perry had used ketamine to treat depression and had received ketamine infusion therapy from doctors. But it is claimed the actor began getting the drug from dealers when his doctors refused to prescribe him more doses.

US Attorney Ian Yanniello told the court that Plasencia had “taken advantage” of Perry’s “severe addiction” for his own “profit motive.”

“This is not medical treatment; it is drug dealing. He was a drug dealer in a white coat.”

And the prosecutor added: “The unfortunate truth about humanity is that there will always be people who take advantage of the vulnerable. We do not expect these predators to be wearing white coats.”

After the sentencing, Plasencia’s attorneys, Karen L. Goldstein and Debra S. White, released a statement saying that their client, “accepts the Court’s sentence today with humility and deep remorse.”

“He was a good doctor loved by those he treated. He is not a villain. He is someone who made serious mistakes in his treatment decisions involving the off-label use of ketamine — a drug commonly used for depression that does not have uniform standards,” they said. “The mistakes he made over the 13 days during which he treated Mr. Perry will stay with him forever.”

The Department of Justice claims that an underground criminal network took advantage of Perry by illegally selling him ketamine.

Perry had spoken openly about his struggle with addiction and detailed it in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing.

In it, he wrote that he started abusing prescription medication after a jet ski accident on the set of the movie Fools Rush In in 1997, for which he was prescribed Vicodin.

Dr. Mark Chavez, a San Diego doctor, admitted in a plea agreement that he obtained ketamine from his former clinic and from a wholesale distributor where he submitted a fraudulent prescription. He is due to be sentenced later this month.

Chavez admitted that he sold ketamine to Plasencia, whom he has known for at least 20 years. He said that he understood the drug was being sold to Perry.

Plasencia, who now lives in Arizona with his wife and 2-year-old son, had faced trial alongside “Ketamine Queen” Jasveen Sangha, who was accused of selling Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him.

Prosecutors had recommended a 36-month sentence, saying that he “sought to exploit Perry’s medical vulnerability for profit.”

They added: ”Indeed, the day defendant met Perry, he made his profit motive known, telling a co-conspirator: ‘I wonder how much this moron will pay’ and ‘let’s find out.’”

Plasencia’s lawyers had requested a one-day sentence, with credit for time already served, and three years of supervised release.

Sangha, of North Hollywood, allegedly charged Perry $50,000 for around 50 vials of the drug. Prosecutors describe her as a drug trafficker who knew the ketamine she distributed could be deadly.

Her home is described as a “drug-selling emporium” where more than 80 vials of ketamine were allegedly found along with thousands of pills that included methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax.

Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal criminal charges, including that she provided the ketamine that ultimately resulted in Perry’s fatal overdose.

Erik Fleming, 54, of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty on August 8 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, admitting that he distributed the ketamine that killed Perry, prosecutors said. He is set to be sentenced in January.

Iwamasa pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and will be sentenced in January.

Wes Streeting orders mental health diagnosis review

Wes Streeting has ordered a review into the diagnosis of mental health conditions as the government seeks to address a significant increase in welfare spending.

The Health Secretary‘s decision comes amid concerns over a sharp rise in individuals claiming sickness benefits due to diagnoses of mental illness, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to reports in the Times.

Mr Streeting has reportedly tasked leading experts with investigating whether common human emotions have become “over-pathologised.”

This move is part of a broader effort to tackle the growing number of working-age people, now totalling 4.4 million, who are claiming sickness or incapacity benefit.

This figure represents an increase of 1.2 million since 2019.

During the same period, there has been a rapid surge in 16 to 34-year-olds unable to work due to long-term sickness linked to mental health conditions.

The review underscores the government’s wider agenda to manage the escalating national welfare bill.

Earlier this year, ministers were forced to climb down on plans to reform disability benefits, including for those with mental health conditions, in the face of backbench Labour opposition.

Sir Keir Starmer on Monday signalled the government will make a fresh push on welfare reform, claiming the system is “trapping people, not just in poverty, but out of work”.

Mr Streeting told the Times he knew from “personal experience how devastating it can be for people who face poor mental health, have ADHD or autism and can’t get a diagnosis or the right support”.

He added: “I also know, from speaking to clinicians, how the diagnosis of these conditions is sharply rising.

“We must look at this through a strictly clinical lens to get an evidence-based understanding of what we know, what we don’t know, and what these patterns tell us about our mental health system, autism and ADHD services.

“That’s the only way we can ensure everyone gets timely access to accurate diagnosis and effective support.”

The review is due to be launched on Thursday, according to the Times.

It is set to be led by Professor Peter Fonagy, a clinical psychologist at University College London specialising in child mental health, with Sir Simon Wessely, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatry, acting as vice chairman.

Professor Fonagy told the Times: “We will examine the evidence with care — from research, from people with lived experience, and from clinicians working at the frontline of mental health, autism and ADHD services — to understand, in a grounded way, what is driving rising demand.”

‘Doctors didn’t tell dad he was terminally ill. He died months later’

Doctors failed to tell a father-of-seven he was terminally ill and instead told him he would be ok, an investigation has revealed.

William Chapman, known as Syd, only learned he had deadly pulmonary fibrosis when his GP, mistakenly believing he was already aware, mentioned his prognosis during a phone call.

Mr Chapman passed away eight months later.

A probe by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has since found a “worrying lack of accountability” at the Countess of Chester Hospital, citing failures in record-keeping, engaging with Mr Chapman’s family and learning from errors.

Mr Chapman, 58, from Upton, Cheshire, was a grandfather-of-16 and died in 2022.

He was admitted to hospital in July 2021 with deteriorating shortness of breath and was diagnosed with Covid-19. He also had further tests.

A few months later in September, a junior doctor told him there was nothing to worry about and reassured him he would be OK, despite not having evidence that this would be true.

In November, Mr Chapman was seen by a consultant who noted in a letter to his GP that he had pulmonary fibrosis.

This condition involves a thickening and scarring of lung tissue, and it worsens over time.

This makes it harder for the lungs to function, leading to increasing shortness of breath and a dry cough.

There is no cure for the condition and treatments can only work to relieve symptoms and slow it down a little.

In Mr Chapman’s case, the consultant did not send him a copy of the letter or tell him about the diagnosis as they should have.

Mr Chapman’s daughter Chantelle, 32, said: “We feel completely let down by the Trust.

“My dad thought he was going to get better, because that’s what they led him to believe. Because of that he carried on working, even though it was a struggle for him.

“If he had known the truth, he would have given up work and made the most of the time he had left with his family.

“By the time he was given the information to make that decision he was too poorly to work anyway, he was practically bed-bound. We all lost that time to spend together.

“It was such a rollercoaster. This has affected all of us and we’ve all lost our trust in the NHS.

“A relative offered to pay for my dad to have treatment privately, but he had such faith in the NHS that he turned it down.

“Medical staff have a duty of care to tell patients what is really happening. It was very traumatic for us all to lose him after being told that he would be fine.”

The PHSO ruled that if Mr Chapman, who served in the Royal Irish Rangers, had been told his prognosis, he would have been able to make informed decisions about his health.

As it was, he was not prepared when later told the extent of his condition.

The PHSO also found hospital staff failed to listen to Mr Chapman’s family and there was poor or no record-keeping of some consultations.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust took over a year to respond to the family’s complaint, did not adequately investigate what happened or acknowledge all its failings, it said.

The Trust also failed to properly acknowledge the impact its failings had on Mr Chapman and his family and to learn from what had happened.

The PHSO found no failings in clinical care.

Rebecca Hilsenrath KC, chief executive officer at PHSO, said: “This disturbing case highlights the importance of effective communication and the consequences of getting it wrong.

“When you hear this kind of diagnosis in this kind in this way, you lose a sense of dignity and the opportunity to make your own decisions about how to live your life.

“The family’s trauma was compounded by their treatment during the hospital’s internal complaints handling.”

She said a previous PHSO report highlighted “too little accountability and too much defensiveness in the NHS”, adding there needs to be a “cultural shift starting from the top down to improve patient safety and avoid further harm”.

Of Mr Chapman’s case, she added: “We found some poor record keeping which can affect a Trust’s ability to understand the impact of what happened and to take appropriate steps to prevent it from reoccurring.

“Poor quality investigations and unacceptable delays in responding to complainants are issues we have highlighted before in the NHS.

“We routinely see Trusts fail to accept errors or acknowledge the impact, which causes complainants more distress at what is already a difficult time.”

The trust has complied with a recommendation to apologise, make service improvements, improve its record keeping, and pay Mr Chapman’s wife £1,200.

A Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly for the experiences of Mr Chapman and his family.

“We fully accept the findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman and will continue to embed the improvements.”

Migrants pepper-sprayed at UK detention centre amid rising unrest

Migrants were pepper-sprayed at a UK immigration detention centre amid rising levels of violence and unrest, a damning inspection report reveals.

Inspectors at the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found there had been a surge in incidents at the scandal-hit Brook House centre, from four in 2023 to 28 in 2024, with an increase in illegal drug use and attacks on staff and other detainees.

These included several large-scale protests involving between 25 to 40 people, and multiple instances of men climbing onto the anti-suicide netting on the wings in frustration at the slow progress of their cases.

The IMB, which oversees prisons and immigration detention, said that on at least a dozen occasions, the incidents were so serious that the National Tactical Response Group – a specialist prison squad trained to respond to serious incidents – had to be called in. And on two occasions, PAVA spray, a form of synthetic pepper spray, was used on the detainees.

Migrants are taken to Brook House or Tinsley House, two centres that can house 588 men, managed by Home Office contractor Serco, in Gatwick, before deportation. However, the majority of men who are held there – 60 per cent – are released back into the community rather than deported.

An inquiry was launched into the management of Brook House after a 2017 undercover Panorama investigation exposed shocking scenes of abuse against detainees.

In the report published on Thursday, inspectors criticised the Home Office for holding detainees, destined for Rwanda under the former Tory government’s scheme, for an “unacceptable” length of time after it became clear flights would not take off. Some were detained for a month after Rishi Sunak called the general election, despite the then-prime minister admitting that no flights would take off.

Home Office staff described the men who had arrived in detention under the Rwanda scheme as “shocked and bewildered”. Many had been publicly arrested in their homes and taken away in handcuffs, while others had their front doors broken down.

Inspectors said that the level of violence between men and toward staff at Gatwick was “very concerning”, particularly at the Brook House site.

There were 74 cases of assault between detainees in Brook House in 2024, and 86 across all the Gatwick sites. This was slightly up on 2023 but significantly up on the 22 incidents recorded in 2022.

There has also been an increase in the number of assaults on staff, with 180 attacks recorded – up from 146 in 2023.

Use of force also increased in 2024, with 785 incidents recorded, up from 599 the year before. These were both much higher than pre-2023 levels.

There has also been an increase in drugs THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis, and spice at the detention centres, the report found. Detainees said theyfelt unsafe due in part to the use of illegal drugs at the sites, which is making people’s behaviour unpredictable.

Men with serious mental and physical vulnerabilities were being brought into detention and kept there for long periods, inspectors warned. Five men held at Brook House in 2024 had such serious mental health problems that they were sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

In one shocking example, a 68-year-old man with dementia and reduced mobility was detained at Brook House. He was held there for at least nine months, with professionals failing to raise concerns about his condition.

Another man who arrived in June 2023 was held for more than 400 days at Brook House despite numerous acts of self-harm and officials knowing that his mental health was deteriorating in detention.

By June 2024, he was spending days on end in the dark in his room, refusing medication, and only eating if food was brought to him. It took several weeks of preparatory work before he was finally able to re-enter the outside world on release.

In another case, a young man was detained at Tinsley House despite saying he was 16 years old. His family were able to provide documents showing he was 16, and he was released two days later, but inspectors said they were very concerned that a young person could end up in an adult detention centre.

While 2,165 men left the Gatwick detention centres for a deportation flight in 2024, some 3,134 people were released to remain in the UK.

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

Labour MP suspended after rebelling against tractor tax

Labour MP Markus Campbell-Savours has been suspended after rebelling against the government’s plans to impose an inheritance tax on farmers.

Dozens of Labour MPs abstained from the Commons vote, while backbencher Mr Campbell-Savours voted against the measures, expressing “deep concerns” about the impact on farmers.

Mr Campbell-Savours was informed he had had the whip removed by chief whip Jonathan Reynolds on Wednesday, according to a Labour source.

It came after the National Farming Union (NFU) called on Labour MPs to abstain from the vote and “show that they truly back the working people of the countryside”.

Backbenchers argued that most farmers are “not wealthy land barons” and said the measure failed to tackle “abuse by the celebrities and the billionaires” who buy farmland to avoid paying a full inheritance tax bill.

But Treasury minister James Murray insisted changes the government made in the Budget are a “fair way forward”.

MPs voted in support of the government’s plans, with 327 votes to 182 – a majority of 145.

Last month, four Labour MPs – Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell – had the whip restored after they had been suspended for repeatedly rebelling against the government.

The backbenchers were suspended after all four voted against Labour’s benefits reforms as part of a wider rebellion that saw the changes postponed in July. At the time, Ms Maskell, MP for York Central, claimed she had been suspended for “standing up for my constituents” over the plans.

Speaking in the Commons Budget debate on Tuesday, outlining why he could not support the government, Mr Campbell-Savours said: “There remain deep concerns about the proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR).

“Members across the House have made the case against these changes, changes which leave many, not least elderly farmers, yet to make arrangements to transfer assets, devastated at the impact on their family farms.

“Many farmers feared this was coming. Some transferred in advance. Others contacted Labour candidates who reassured them, based on public commitments from the then shadow secretary of state for Defra, that APR would not be touched.

“I was one of those Labour candidates, and it’s for that reason I’ll be voting against the Budget resolution enabling these changes.”

Mr Campbell-Savours said he wanted to be able to walk around his community “knowing I did all I could for them”, and could not do so if he broke his word.

In the Budget, the chancellor announced that any of a £1m APR and business property relief allowance that goes unused will be transferable between spouses and civil partners.

However, the move has not stopped criticism from the farming community, which has fiercely opposed the changes since they were proposed in last year’s Budget, with the introduction of a 20 per cent rate on agricultural land and businesses worth more than £1m.

Samantha Niblett, Labour MP for South Derbyshire, welcomed concessions for married couples in the Budget but said: “I do plead with the government to look again at APR inheritance tax. Most farmers are not wealthy land barons; they live hand to mouth on tiny, sometimes non-existent profit margins. Many were explicitly advised not to hand over their farm to children, [but] now face enormous unexpected tax bills.”

Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk, said Ms Reeves’s Budget has failed to tackle the “abuse by the celebrities and the billionaires” who buy farmland to avoid paying a full inheritance tax bill.

Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire, Chris Hinchliff, asked Treasury minister James Murray whether the government would “take immediate action” if changes to agricultural property relief led to farm closures.

Ahead of the vote, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “Without change, the family farm tax will trap the most vulnerable members of our community, the elderly and terminally ill, with no ability to plan. It’s inhumane and it’s cruel.”

Perfect portraits: from groups to selfies and candid pics, expert tips

Portrait photography has come a long way from the days where everyone needed to be smiling directly into the camera, as a flash bulb popped.

And in fact, following on from an era where social media sites offered very curated, sometimes heavily filtered snapshots of our lives, more natural, candid images that really show off our personalities and experiences are now very much on trend. Think authentic photos of genuine moments where no-one is really paying attention to the camera. Instead they’re focused on enjoying what’s happening and the people they are with. For example, friends around a table enjoying a drink and a chat. Families engaged in a favourite activity. Photos that look like a glimpse into someone’s normal every day.

The best way to capture these in-the-moment shots? On a mobile: our ever-present, hand-held, do-everything device that has steadily taken over photography in the 26 years since the first camera phone appeared. Samsung’s newest device, the Galaxy S25 FE offers a wealth of photography-first features, from multiple cameras, lenses and wide angle settings, to in-built AI technology that will help you take the best possible pictures, then easily edit them afterwards. And as a photographer who runs masterclasses in mobile photography I couldn’t wait to try it out.

The phone itself is slim and lightweight, which makes it so much easier to hold steady, for clear, crisp, blur-free images, and take discreet, candid snaps.

Of course, we all have friends, family members and even pets who love performing for the camera. But for those who are a bit more reluctant to step into the frame, the Galaxy S25 FE offers a whole host of easy-to-use, fun AI features that will have even the most camera-shy feeling completely confident and ready for their close-up.

Samsung’s Drawing Assist function is a prime example and was an absolute hit with my kids, transforming our Sunday afternoon walk from a litany of moaning and dragging feet into a fun-filled adventure involving a lucky escape from the shark that apparently now lives in the park pond, and flying through the air with some giant balloons.

And all it took was a few simple, if strategically positioned snaps and some quick sketches using the Sketch to Image* function when editing the photo. This works best when you have some space in the frame around your subjects so you can easily draw what you want to add. In the shark image, for example, we needed enough water to the left of my kids for the shark to emerge from.

In the photo where the children are flying with the balloons, I needed them to be high up against the sky, and I also wanted the trees visible to add some context to the story we were trying to tell. They’re on top of the boulders, but I had to crouch down on the ground to cut out the houses in the background. By using the Generative Edit** function I was then able to replace the boulders with trees and then used Sketch to Image to draw in some balloons to make it look like they were floating away.

You don’t need to be an amazing artist for Sketch to Image to work well either, just enough line and shape for the app to recognise what you want to add into your image. The only limit here is your imagination and creativity. Involving the kids in some fun photography also meant that I got to capture some real, candid moments of them in the beautiful Autumn sunshine, with none of the usual complaints.

While playing around with reality can be fun, the Galaxy S25FE’s other AI features can also be used to make more subtle adjustments to enhance your images.

Just a few minutes of work with the Generative Edit function on a day out with a friend, helped me erase two unwanted photobombers from a photo (in which she perfectly co-ordinated with the graffitied heart wall in Borough Market). While removing some distracting weedkiller from the table where my cat was basking in the sunshine ensured the perfect pic where I can really appreciate him in all his fluffy glory.

Aside from fun and helpful editing functions, the phone’s AI technology is also running in the background to give your photos a boost, whatever and whenever you are capturing them.

This is great when you’re shooting challenging lighting conditions, for example at night. Dark, grainy and blurred photos are a thing of the past, with Samsung’s Nightography feature. Tapping the yellow moon icon that appears in dim lighting will enable this clever function which captures multiple images and then uses AI to blend them together to create one sharper, brighter image.

This can take a few seconds, so you’ll need to keep very still when using this feature – if you can, brace your arms on a table and hold the phone with two hands to keep the camera as steady as possible. It also helps if your subject is still, so this is more for capturing adults and older kids than snapping a restless pet or fast-moving child.

For these trickier subjects, from youngsters to four-legged friends, the excellent autofocus on the device makes for pin-sharp portraits rendered in high definition. And if you couple that with the outstanding Samsung colour profile you get beautifully saturated, nicely contrasted images which really pop. All the colours are beautifully rendered and all skin tones (and fur tones) are true to life. No filters are needed here.

And this is not just true of portraits you take of other people. The 12 MP camera lens on the front of the phone makes for gorgeously rendered, high resolution selfies with a variety of crop options, so you can find the perfect angle or image composition.

Taking a selfie at a 1:1 square crop, as well as the standard 3:4 crop option means you can easily include a friend or family member in your photo. And there’s a lovely little feature where you can get the lens to zoom out a little by tapping the ‘two person’ icon to provide a little extra space.

The 9:16 crop option means you can opt for a more flattering, longer and thinner photo while the full frame cop allows you a more zoomed-in selfie.

And if you want to take your selfies to another level, the option to add a little skin toning and smoothing effect and iron out any wrinkles (or in my case remove evidence of a sleepless night) is one of the additional features that makes the selfie camera stand out!

The excellent battery life means you don’t need to worry about it lasting, even after a few hours of photo fun. And when your battery does run down, lightning fast charging will see you back at 60 per cent in just 30 minutes, so you don’t have to wait long until you are good to go again.

Overall, whether it is taking vibrant portraits of yourself or capturing creative, candid images of the people (and pets) in your lives, making memories you’ll want to share is easy and fun with the Galaxy S25 FE.

Kirsty Hamilton is a portrait photographer – find out more at her website and on Instagram.

To find out more about the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE visit Samsung

*Samsung account login and network connection may be required for certain AI features.

**Samsung account login is required. Requires network connection.

Against Liverpool’s £100m men, Sunderland proved smart-spending status

Federico Chiesa has started to forge a reputation as Liverpool’s latest super-sub because of his capacity to deliver crucial contributions in the opposition’s penalty area. As he cemented it, it was with injury-time heroics in his own. Liverpool were spared a 10th defeat in 14 games, a third in a row at home and a particularly embarrassing concession by a man who had been sent on to score a winner. Perhaps not even David Fairclough or Divock Origi, previous generations of sensational substitutes, ever managed this.

But when Wilson Isidor’s 94th-minute shot beat Alisson, Chiesa turned rescuer. “I looked up and I saw the player of them completely free on the half-way line,” recalled Arne Slot. “The good thing is Fede could have thought, ‘it is nothing for me to do, I am so far away from the situation’, but he kept sprinting. As a result, Fede could clear the ball off the line, which is the minimum he deserved.” It was another illustration that the Italian, whose Anfield career could have been over in the summer, never gives up. For that, Liverpool could be grateful. If their season is becoming a damage-limitation exercise, he prevented it from getting any worse.

Having showed too little ambition at the start and too much at the end, Liverpool were carved open by one ball forward from goalkeeper Robin Roefs. Chasing a game, they at least claimed a point from a losing position for the first time this season. Yet while they ended up with a first draw of the campaign, an unwillingness to settle for it almost cost them.

Because really it was Sunderland who were denied victory. “We had this opportunity to score the second goal,” rued Regis Le Bris, so close to becoming the first Sunderland manager to win at Anfield since Alan Durban in 1983. And when Chemsdine Talbi, scorer of a decider against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, put them ahead, the Moroccan seemed on course for a notable double, while Sunderland were set for fourth place. As it was, they can still look down on Liverpool in the table and rue aspects of a night in which they hit the woodwork in both halves and when both scorers were Sunderland players.

Because while Liverpool’s equaliser was celebrated by Florian Wirtz and appeared, at the 18th time of asking, to have belatedly opened his account for his new club, it was instead debited to Nordi Mukiele, his deflection diverting an off-target shot past Roefs. “In recent games we have found it really hard to get an equaliser but we have had a bit of luck,” added Slot. A match of two deflected goals nevertheless shone a light on two spending sprees.

Liverpool were the biggest spenders in the summer. Sunderland may have been the smartest. Talbi was a low-profile recruit and, at £16.5m, a low-cost one, certainly in comparison to his Liverpool counterparts. But he is proof arrivals can settle swiftly and while Liverpool are beginning to see hints of why they spent so much on their £100m men, Alexander Isak and Wirtz, Sunderland’s massive overhaul has produced a hugely impressive side.

They were a unit; well coached, confident in possession, with touches of class. Liverpool are a team in search of a blueprint; their shortcomings were all too apparent again. A night when Mohamed Salah was first snubbed and then summoned illustrated that Slot has not found a winning formula without him. Liverpool were better with Salah, but that is not saying much.

A glimpse of life without Salah was decidedly dull. His exile from the side was not a one-game affair; for the first time in his Liverpool career, he was a substitute for successive matches. Once again, Dominik Szoboszlai was preferred on the right. But Liverpool were too narrow without Salah, with Szoboszlai tucking in. In the first half, they lacked ideas and creativity, movement and runners ahead of the ball.

So Slot had to send an SOS to Salah at half-time. The familiar sound of the song serenading Anfield’s “Egyptian king” followed a minute later. Salah at least brought energy and urgency, the tempo rising along with the volume. He had the air of a man desperate to make something happen. “We expected Salah to come on and change the dynamic,” added Le Bris.

Little had occurred before then. Alexis Mac Allister had headed Joe Gomez’s cross against the post. Yet, apart from Szoboszlai’s swerving shot, which Roefs tipped over, they fashioned precious little else in an uninspired first half.

Meanwhile, Sunderland struck the woodwork in each half. Trai Hume’s long-range piledriver was tipped onto the bar by Alisson. Omar Alderete met Enzo Le Fee’s corner with a header that struck the near post. Talbi struck as Virgil van Dijk first backed off and then saw the ball go in off his backside. “Their goal is not even a chance,” lamented Slot. “If that is a chance we have had 20 chances tonight. The draw was the minimum we deserved.”

And yet, but for Chiesa, it would have been another loss,

England eyes Ashes response as Australia make late Cummins call

England are targeting a quick Ashes reply to Australia in Brisbane after succumbing to the hosts inside two days of pulsating cricket in the first Test.

Now Ben Stokes and his team arrive at The Gabba, one of the most intimidating grounds in world cricket, with the pink ball and a day-night second Test set to examine their skill yet further.

Stokes has explained the painful decision to leave out Shoaib Bashir, instead preferring fellow spinner Will Jacks as a replacement for Mark Wood in the only change to the side.

The hosts face a tough decision of their own, with skipper Pat Cummins set for a late fitness test after missing the opener, though Mitchell Starc looks primed to torment England once more after a fiendish display of fast bowling in Perth.

Follow all the latest updates, scores and analysis on day one at The Gabba below: