Key events
FULL TIME: Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool
The whistle goes, and Sunderland are finally vanquished at the Stadium of Light!
90 min +7: A long ball hoofed into the Liverpool box. Ballard tugs Van Dijk to the ground, and that should be that.
90 min +6: Salah again down the inside-right channel. He swishes a smooth half-volley across Roefs and inches wide of the bottom left. Liverpool have an xG of 1.84, but Sunderland (0.66) are still in this!
90 min +5: Salah scampers after a long punt down the inside-right channel. He prepares to shoot as he enters the box, but Geertruida nips in to squeeze the ball out for a corner. Not far from finding the bottom right of his own goal, to be fair. Nothing comes of the set piece. But Liverpool come again with the press, and Roefs sells Jones an outrageous dummy! Then nearly undoes all of his stylish work by hovering over the clearance and nearly getting closed down by the recovering Jones. He clears in time. The tension at the Stadium of Light is palpable.
90 min +4: Liverpool play some keep-ball in the Sunderland half. Meanwhile, on TNT, former Sunderland striker names possible match-winner Virgil van Dijk as his man of the match.
90 min +3: Isidor comes on for Diarra, Sunderland’s last roll of the dice.
90 min +2: Mundle jinks in from the left and runs slap-bang into Mac Allister. He wants a penalty, but there’s no way he’s getting one.
90 min +1: Talbi crosses high from the right. At the far stick, Gomez, ice in the veins, cushions a header into the arms of Alisson. What fine defence!
90 min: … and yes, as expected, there will be seven additional minutes.
89 min: The Liverpool fans are in good voice as their team edges towards the line. But there’s going to be a fair bit of added time due to Endo’s injury, and Liverpool have already conceded four 90+min winners this season, tying the all-time Premier League record with Watford (17-18 and 21-22), West Ham (21-22) and Southampton (24-25). One more and they’ll hold this unwanted record all by themselves.
88 min: Ekitike is replaced by Chiesa.
87 min: Jones and Ekitike combine on the halfway line to spring a Liverpool counter. Wirtz cuts back from the right to tee up Jones, who aims for the top-left corner, but it’s always heading over. Not sure Roefs would have got there had it been on target.
86 min: Mukiele crosses from the right, but inaccurately, allowing Alisson to claim. Liverpool are sitting back and inviting trouble. We’ve seen this movie before.
85 min: Geertruida nearly finds Le Fee down the left channel, but overhits the pass. Alisson smothers. Should Geertruida have taken his chances from the edge of the box? He had a little bit of time.
84 min: Le Fee slips a ball down the inside-left for Brobbey, who has the chance to turn away from the out-of-position Van Dijk and shoot, but slips at the crucial moment. Van Dijk takes his chance to close his man down.
82 min: Mundle is in the thick of it immediately, probing down the left but unable to get past Salah and Gomez. Meanwhile here’s Kári Tulinius: “I’ve thought Wataru Endo has been excellent when he’s featured for Liverpool, but he’s been absolutely crucial for Japan, where he anchors the midfield. I hope that the injury won’t affect his participation in the World Cup, because at full strength Samurai Blue are a really good side to watch and could go far.”
80 min: Sunderland make a triple change. Alderete, Hume and Angulo are replaced by Mundle, Talbi (who scored at Anfield in December) and Geertruida (who nearly joined Liverpool in the window that’s just shut).
78 min: Wirtz crosses from the left for Ekitike, who steers a downward header across Roefs and inches wide of the bottom-left corner. A big miss, and one that’s almost identical to the one against Manchester City last Sunday.
77 min: A stat from TNT Sports: Salah’s assist for the goal puts him on 92 in the Premier League, tying a Liverpool record with Steven Gerrard.
76 min: Mukiele turns smoothly into space down the right before suffering a rush of blood and hoicking an overly ambitious shot over the bar from a tight angle. In the middle, Le Fee le-fumes.
75 min: Jones comes on for Gakpo. These late-game defensive subs haven’t always worked well for Arne Slot this season, so let’s see how this one pans out.
74 min: Ekitike has the opportunity to release Salah into the box down the right, but seriously overhits the pass. Ekitike has been excellent this season, though his decision making with the final ball has sometimes been lacking. Something to work on.
72 min: It’s Brobbey versus Konate again! The former prepares to swivel and shoot near the penalty spot. He’s about to cock his leg and smash home, when Konate, sticking to his shoulder once again, executes a high-tariff block-and-clear tackle. A brief shout for a penalty, but only from the fans, not the players. Brobbey-Konate has been box-office tonight.
71 min: Salah curls a shot in from the right. It pings off Le Fee’s arm, but there won’t be a penalty as the player was facing the other way and didn’t have a clue what was going on. Ekitike tries to flick the rebound home, but loops over the bar from close range. That’s a big chance.
69 min: Sunderland’s supporters give Endo a warm ovation as he disappears down the tunnel. Van Dijk deals with the corner at the restart. “Did Liverpool’s defensive coach walk under a ladder, trip over a black cat and break the mirror he was holding?” wonders Patrick Crumlish. “Something weird going on with even the emergency right-backs. When Endo gets injured, you know there’s a curse.”
68 min: I’m not sure why Endo didn’t stay down after suffering his injury. He sportingly got up to keep the game going, but at awful personal cost. He covers his eyes as he’s lifted off the pitch. Gomez will come on in his place. Liverpool’s right-back position appears to be cursed this season.
66 min: Endo stood firm, part of an all-hands-to-pump defence of that Sunderland corner. So brave. Perhaps too brave, because the poor guy is in serious pain. On comes the stretcher, but before he can be loaded onto it, he’s given a toot of gas. Liverpool’s injury woes this season show no sign of abating.
64 min: The corner, with Endo in all sorts of trouble, is defended in the last-ditch fashion by Liverpool. Alisson punches clear amid some high-speed pinball. Gravenberch finally turns the ball out for a corner, but before it can be taken, Endo goes down again. He surely can’t continue. He’s in some distress. He turned his ankle horribly.
62 min: Sunderland look for the instant response. Mukiele crosses from the right. Angulo waits to sweep home from six yards, but Endo sticks out a leg to divert out for a corner. Then Endo falls on that leg. Ooyah. That’s going to hurt, his ankle turned sickeningly. But he bravely gets up, hobbling badly, to defend the corner!
GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool (van Dijk 61)
Salah hits the corner long. At the far stick, Van Dijk rises highest. His downward header flies towards Diarra, guarding the post. Diarra’s attempted clearing header goes backwards, into the roof of the net. Van Dijk’s effort was on target, so he’ll get the goal.
60 min: … there’s a lot of jostling between Konate and Ballard before it can be taken …
59 min: Ekitike makes good down the left and cuts back for Salah, in space on the penalty spot. Salah aims a first-timer towards the top left, but the shot pings off Alderete. One corner from the right leads to another, and from that …
58 min: Mukiele cuts in from the right and sends a daisycutter inches wide of the right-hand post. Alisson had it covered. Sunderland have obviously been given the what-for by Le Bris, because they’ve been much improved since the break.
57 min: Brobbey barrels after a long pass down the inside-left channel. Once again he can’t get past Konate, who sticks to him like glue. Then the flag goes up for offside, though had Brobbey won that duel, and scored, VAR might have wanted a word. That was borderline.
55 min: Liverpool have finally turned up for the second half. Wirtz, then Endo, take turns to shoot from the edge of the box. Both efforts are blocked. Wirtz setting himself up with a wall pass off Gravenberch there. The home fans suddenly get a little agitated.
54 min: Salah has been a bit livelier tonight than of late, and now he earns a corner down the right. He takes it himself … and sends it swinging under the crossbar. Roefs does very well to punch clear under extreme pressure.
53 min: Angulo nearly breaks into the box from the left. Mac Allister stands firm and steals the ball off him. Angulo pulls him back. Some honest old-fashioned scrapping, hard but fair.
52 min: Gravenberch finds Ekitike on the edge of the Sunderland D, the striker’s back to goal. Ekitike flicks around the corner, hoping Wirtz would read the intent. Wirtz doesn’t read the intent. Roefs picks up possession. Ekitike hangs out an arm unnecessarily and catches the keeper on the neck. Roefs goes down theatrically. The referee wisely tells both grown men to stop playing silly buggers.
50 min: Hume tries his luck from 25 yards. It’s a decent effort, aimed towards the top right but always clearing the bar. Alisson had it covered. Sunderland have enjoyed 79 percent of possession since the restart.
49 min: Now it’s Ekitike’s turn to showcase some exquisite skill, flicking the ball past Ballard on the left touchline and accelerating into space. But he wastes the fine work by losing control under no pressure whatsoever when cutting infield. Promising signs from both attacks in the early exchanges of this second half, though.
47 min: Angulo elegantly Cruyff-turns his way past Endo down the left but Van Dijk heads his cross clear easily enough. Lovely initial show of skill, though. And speaking of old-school World Cup imagery … “Liverpool’s shade of green looks the same as the one used in alternate Germany kits of yesteryear,” observes Peter Oh. “If Wirtz roofs one in past Roefs you can colour me mighty relieved!”
Liverpool get the second half underway. No changes.
Half-time pint.
Half-time show.
HALF TIME: Sunderland 0-0 Liverpool
Liverpool have been the better side, but one save from Wirtz apart, Roefs hasn’t had too much work to do. Both teams go in happy enough, if for different reasons.
45 min +1: Sadiki twists around Mac Allister down the right, and crosses low. While Gravenberch is clearing a harmless cross, Brobbey goes over while wrestling with his old foe Konate. A quick VAR check but there’s nothing in that. All very soft.
45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute.
44 min: Diarra goes down, having taken a heavy touch, then a heavy whack from Gakpo. Happily he’s back up on his feet soon enough.
43 min: … Salah loops weakly into the hands of Roefs. That little story could have been more rhythmically satisfying.
42 min: A corner on the left leads to two more on the right. And from the second one …
41 min: Robertson is released into the Sunderland box down the left. From a tight angle, he bashes a low cross-cum-shot into the six-yard box. Roefs, his legs a-tangle, nearly deflects backwards into his own net. Just wide left.
40 min: Mac Allister pings Endo into space down the right. Endo slaps a poor cross straight at Roefs, with Ekitike waiting to sidefoot home. It’s not exactly breaking news, but Liverpool miss Trent.
39 min: A ball rolling down the Sunderland inside-right channel. Brobbey momentarily looks like getting ahead of Konate, but the defender stays strong and ushers him away from goal. Sunderland want a free kick, suggesting Konate was tugging the striker, but replays show the attacker doing most of the armwork.
38 min: Salah curls a cross in from the right. Wirtz competes half-heartedly for a header with Roefs, and the keeper wins that duel easily enough. Sunderland counter, and Angulo dribbles in from the left. He makes space, 25 yards out, and has a dig. Straight at Alisson.
36 min: … Gakpo makes good down the left and cuts back for Van Dijk, who tries to scoop a shot goalwards from 12 yards. The ball pings off Alderete for a corner, from which nothing comes. It feels like a Liverpool goal is in the post.
35 min: Liverpool are on top now. Ekitike, Gakpo and Robertson combine down the left to draw a foul. And from a free kick quickly taken by Robertson …
33 min: Robertson crosses from the byline on the left. Endo isn’t who they’d ideally want at the far stick. His cross finds Gakpo on the left. The ball’s cut back to Wirtz, who shifts the ball inches left to make space, then sends a forensic shot through a crowded box, diagonally left to right, and off the base of the right-hand post! A super-smart effort that deserved full reward. But Wirtz and Liverpool don’t receive their dues.
32 min: Sunderland win another throw deep in Liverpool territory. Hume goes short, gets the ball back, and loops it harmlessly into the arms of Alisson. Liverpool counter briskly, and Ekitike has a whack that momentarily discombobulates Reinildo.
31 min: … Van Dijk flicks a header over at the near post. That’s a good chance, and you’d expect Liverpool’s captain to hit the target at the very least.
