ANFIELD, Liverpool — Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes against relegation-threatened Sunderland—but thousands of supporters missed another collapse from their side as they walked out en-masse to protest rising ticket prices.

Jurgen Klopp's side, missing the manager himself due to having his appendix removed, had dominated the opening 80 minutes and were in control after Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana's second-half goals. This was, surely, a game they would take three points from.

Alas, yet another Simon Mignolet goalkeeping mistake and another goal conceded from questionable defending from the Reds' two centre-backs meant Sam Allardyce's side left Anfield with an unexpected point.

We've seen these same mistakes time and again this season, so to suggest the protest caused or affected the players would be making excuses for the players or showing an agenda against the protest itself. Fans walking out early didn't cause Mignolet to set up his defensive wall for Adam Johnson's free-kick so poorly, or to make such a tame attempt to keep out the shot. The stadium being 25 per cent empty didn't cause Mamadou Sakho to be turned so easily by Jermain Defoe when sitting deep in the final minutes.

Speaking post-match, Liverpool first-team coach Pepijn Lijnders defended the fans' right to protest and insisted it didn't affect the team.

"We have one of the best supporter groups in the world, so if they want to make a statement, they have a right to," he said.

"It did not affect the players. It changed the atmosphere inside the stadium but not the mentality of the players."

Lijnders explained how Liverpool, collectively, drop too deep in the final minutes of games—something that was certainly evident for Defoe's equalising goal.

It was an afternoon that saw as much attention off the pitch as on the pitch. Before the match, banners were held up around Anfield from supporters incensed by the club's new ticket prices for next season, which were announced this week. "Enough is enough," read several, "Football without fans is nothing," read another—held pre-match directly next to chief executive Ian Ayre in the directors box.

Nobody could estimate how many would walk, and while it wasn't unanimous, it was a huge protest—quite probably the biggest walkout protest any football match has ever seen in this country.

Just before the 77th minute, chants of "You greedy b-----ds, enough is enough" sounded from the Kop, which was roundly applauded by all four sides of the ground—including Sunderland fans. It was at this point you sensed the protest would happen.

A stirring, passionate rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone" ensued in the 76th minute, before thousands headed en-masse for the exits in the 77th minute—chosen in reaction to some tickets rising to £77 next season.

Most estimates say around 10,000 walked, with those who remained seemingly unaware of the protest, or too apathetic to stand up against the capitalism and greed of the Premier League.

Former manager Roy Evans gave his support for the protest, tweeting post-match: "Liverpool Fans have every right to protest today, they've always stood up for what they believe in. LFC wouldn't be what it is without them."

Jamie Carragher reportedly left his seat in the Main Stand on 77 minutes, while former player Jim Beglin tweeted: "To those defending 200 £77 seats for 6 games, do you really think the current price of £56 to sit in the main stand is fair?"

The protest received plenty of media attention, with Alan Shearer also defending the fans on BBC's Match of the Day, saying: "I do not think that any fan in the country—at all—should be asked to pay more for tickets next season.

"With the TV deal that starts next season, if anything, fans should be rewarded for their loyalty."

The rising cost of football for supporters isn't an issue specific to Liverpool, far from it, and this week saw Premier League teams vote against a cap on away tickets at £30—at a meeting where they were told the league will receive more than £8 billion from new TV deals next season (over £40 million additional income per club), as per Charles Sale of the Daily Mail.

Premier League clubs are showing contempt for their own supporters who spend thousands of pounds to follow their team. The clubs, players and agents are getting richer, but the common fan is still being squeezed for that extra few quid per match—despite matchday income becoming less and less important with every rising TV deal.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will have more than doubled the amount of hospitality seats at Anfield next season with the opening of the new Main Stand. Journalist Michael Calvin, writing in the Independent, explains how even Liverpool's mega-rich players themselves "baulked at the expense" when offered first refusal on new hospitality boxes—costing approximately £13,000 per person, per season.

Calvin explains: "Allowing for wriggle room in the negotiating process—many first-team players currently share 10-seater executive boxes which retail at around £75,000 despite being officially priced at £100,000— that meant finding in the region of £300,000 a year. No deal. No way. No how."

With revenue such as this being generated from hospitality and corporate ticket sales, do Liverpool really need to increase the price of some seats at Anfield next season? Some seats that aren't even in the newly built Main Stand? Some tickets in the Centenary Stand will rise from £59 to £66, while a £52 ticket in the Anfield Road rises to £65.

What is needed now is for supporters of other Premier League teams to express their feelings against the greed of the Premier League, to put pressure on the teams and the league to bring fairer ticket prices for all.

Speaking in 2012 when Borussia Dortmund fans protested €20 tickets, Klopp said he understood the protests, saying: "Who knows what these people endure to be here and support us in the stadium?" 

Football is a release for many, to be able to get away from their daily rituals and be with friends, share their passion and support their team. Increasingly, that person is being priced out—it's been happening for years, but the huge new TV deals offered clubs the opportunity to repay such loyalty and bring a halt to the escalating ticket prices.

This protest could be just the start. If more were willing to stand against the greed of the Premier League, action would have to be taken—after all, half empty stadiums and protesting fans doesn't make for a good image for the TV companies paying billions.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.