Florian Wirtz learns during his post-match interview that his equaliser has been officially ruled as an own goal.

Florian Wirtz was harshly denied his first Premier League goal on Wednesday night after Liverpool’s 81st-minute equaliser against Sunderland was officially ruled an own goal.

The summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen — whose deal could rise to £116 million — looked set to finally get off the mark after going 17 league matches without scoring.

With nine minutes left, Wirtz collected a pass from Curtis Jones and weaved his way through the Sunderland box. After a clever touch to beat Dan Ballard, it appeared he had scored at last, and even the Sky commentators believed the ball was his.

However, moments later the Premier League announced that the goal had been credited as a Mukiele own goal.

Wirtz only learned of the decision after full-time when a Sky reporter broke the news during his interview. The moment was slightly awkward, but after pausing, he brushed it off: “It doesn’t matter for me. We drew. We wanted to win — that’s what counts today. Unlucky.”

Curtis Jones, standing beside him, was visibly upset for his teammate. “Flo always wants the ball,” he said. “He worked so hard. It’s just a shame it goes down as an own goal.”

Reflecting on his early months at Liverpool, Wirtz said he has settled in well: “The team welcomed me from the start. I’m very happy to be here. The last few weeks have been tough, but we’re working hard to get back on track.”

“We want to win games and be at the top of the table. We just have to keep going and hopefully things will turn.”

Liverpool remain eighth in the league with seven wins from 14 and now prepare to face Leeds on Saturday afternoon.