Liverpool made it two wins from their last three Premier League games, beating Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Arne Slot’s side are slowly picking up more results, and at a key time too, as they currently sit sixth in the league, just two points off Chelsea in fifth, and three points off Manchester United in fourth.
While Liverpool had more of the ball (56% share of possession), and created a higher volume of clear cut chances with three big chances and 1.95 expected goals, Sunderland made it difficult for Slot’s men, making it a battle on a rainy night in Tyne and Wear.
In this article, we’ll cover
Sunderland make it tough
Regis le Bris’ side set up in a compact 4-4-2 defensive block, looking to restrict Liverpool’s central access and force them into errors.
Whenever Sunderland had the ball, they were willing to be patient, recycling play back to their keeper and looking to draw the Liverpool press forwards, before going direct and looking to play over it.
The Black Cats have proven themselves as a strong defensive unit this campaign, often restricting the opposition to crosses and shots from range, trust their central defenders to win their battles and Robin Roefs to make saves between the sticks.
Sunderland’s back four totted up 23 clearances between them, blocking six shots and winning eight aerial duels, making it tough for Liverpool to find a break inside the box.
Liverpool’s shot popping
Due to Sunderland’s compact defensive unit, willing to step off and sit in a low block against Slot’s men, Liverpool were looking to get shots off from outside the box, with seven of their 23 shots coming from range.
Plenty of Liverpool’s shots closer to the box were blocked, as Sunderland congested this space and put their bodies on the line.
The compactness of Sunderland’s block often forced Liverpool into wide areas, with both Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah seeing plenty of the ball in advanced areas, but they were unable to carve out that moment of magic, often taking a bit too long to get the ball out of their feet.
Florian Wirtz felt like the one who could unpick the lock, having a shot from range saved by Roefs between the sticks and one coming back off the post, after a lovely touch to create seperation inside the box.
Brobbey battles
Brian Brobbey is proving to be a handful for Premier League defenders this season, joining Sunderland this summer from Ajax for a fee of around £21.6m.
The Dutch forward has netted five goals in his 21 league appearances, always hustling with defenders and causing the opposition defence problems.
Up against two of the most physical central defenders in the league, Brobbey didn’t shy away, despite only winning one aerial duel and three duels in total, he was always making it difficult for the defensive duo to get clean contact on the ball, allowing Brobbey’s Sunderland teammates to get close for second balls.
Brobbey went toe to toe with the Liverpool defenders, but the pair did well to deal with him, likely being the factor Slot’s side walk away with all three points.
Van Dijk victorious
Both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were imperious in the air, winning 13 aerial duels between them, only losing two in total (one each).
Konate was the man primarily handling Brobbey, winning all three of his ground duels, making a key block inside the box and making one last man tackle.
Van Dijk was the decider at the other end, scoring from a corner to give Liverpool their 1-0 lead, which they hung on to at the end, despite a late onslaught from the Black Cats.
The Dutch centre-back also did his bit defending his own box, making a whopping 14 clearances, winning his only ground duel in the match and winning eight of his nine aerial duels.