Liverpool rued a missed penalty and a disallowed goal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by visitors Sunderland while newcomers Queens Park Rangers were thrashed 4-0 at home by Bolton Wandrers as the Premier League season got underway on Saturday. Liverpool went ahead through Luis Suarez's 12th-minute header but an earlier penalty miss by the Uruguayan and a disallowed Andy Carroll effort allowed Sunderland to stay in the game with winger Sebastian Larsson equalising in the 57th. “We might have had a few more chances and were a wee bit unlucky in getting Andy Carroll's goal knocked off, which would have put us 2-0 up,” Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish told reporters. “But Sunderland made it difficult for us, they worked really hard and I think they deserved a point.” QPR's first match in the top flight since 1996 was one to forget as they were thumped by Bolton in a match in which just about everything that could go wrong for them did. Fellow new boys Norwich City made a better start, snatching a point with a 1-1 draw at Wigan Athletic, while Wolverhampton Wanderers won 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers and Fulham drew 0-0 with Aston Villa in a turgid game at Craven Cottage. Arsenal start their campaign later at Newcastle United, while on Sunday champions Manchester United head to West Bromwich Albion and last year's runners-up Chelsea travel to Stoke City. Liverpool had hoped to build on the promise they showed in the second half of last season following Kenny Dalglish's appointment as manager and they fielded four new signings. After Suarez's opener, set up by debutant Charlie Adam, they had the chance to stretch their lead but Carroll's effort, also created by Adam, was disallowed after the striker was pulled up for a foul on Anton Ferdinand. TAUGHT LESSONS Another Liverpool new face Stewart Downing went close when his long-range strike crashed against the crossbar as the hosts' early dominance evaporated and Sunderland hit back through debutant Larsson's exquisite volley. While Liverpool were given a reality check after pundits' predictions that they would break back into the top four after a sixth-place finish last term, QPR were taught a series of top-flight lessons. After a promising start, in which striker DJ Campbell's early effort was disallowed, the Londoners watched in despair as new signing Kieron Dyer left the field on a stretcher just five minutes into the game with a foot injury. They fell behind on the stroke of halftime as Bolton defender Gary Cahill sent the ball into the top corner from 25 metres out before QPR defender Danny Gabbidon turned the ball into his own net in the 67th minute. Their day got even worse as goals by Ivan Klasnic and Fabrice Muamba gave Bolton a comprehensive victory and to top it off, QPR finished the game with 10 men after Clint Hill's red card for a headbutt on Martin Petrov.
