Liverpool delivered a remarkable away display to be the first team to achieve victory at Sunderland in the Premier League this season.
Virgil van Dijk’s header in the second half ensured all three points for the away team, which controlled significant portions of the game at the Stadium of Light.
The Liverpool skipper nodded in a corner from Mohamed Salah shortly after the hour mark—and Sunderland’s Habib Diarra, positioned on the goal line, could only assist the ball into the net.
Liverpool showed strong performance in the first half, controlling the ball, while Arne Slot’s team held 68% of the possession.
After initially having difficulty navigating through Sunderland’s strong defense, it was Florian Wirtz who was nearest to scoring first.
At the thirty-minute point, the German’s right-footed shot from beyond the area was expertly saved by Robin Roefs, who deflected it out for a corner.
Moments later, Wirtz hit the post with a left-footed shot from within the box before a header was stopped by Roefs.
Liverpool increased the pressure, but Sunderland managed to keep the score at 0-0 by half-time. Regis Le Bris’ team managed just five touches inside the opponent’s box during the first half.
The hosts showed improvement after halftime, with captain Trai Hume sending a shot over, but it was the away team that earned a well-deserved lead as Van Dijk netted his fourth goal of the season.
Liverpool secured a vital victory, but their night was somewhat overshadowed by a concerning injury to Wataru Endo, who was playing as a right-back due to Dominik Szoboszlai’s suspension.
The Japan international had his first league start of the season and was strong defensively, winning the highest number of duels (seven) of all players in the game until he landed awkwardly on his ankle shortly after Liverpool gained the lead.
Endo was taken away on a stretcher and substituted by Joe Gomez, who has just come back from an injury. Following the match, Slot mentioned regarding Endo, “We need to wait and see, but we anticipate that he won’t be available for a considerable period.”
Liverpool secured a win—their second in the league for 2026—narrowing the distance to fifth-placed Chelsea to two points, while Sunderland sits in 11th.
They fought hard against a well-structured Sunderland team and truly earned the three points.
Sunderland surged forward at the start, but Liverpool managed to endure the initial pressure and was clearly the superior team for the majority of the first half.
They were at ease in possession, with Wirtz central to everything, and possibly the sole critique could be their inability to translate that dominance into results.
Ultimately, it required a set piece for Slot’s team to score first—Liverpool’s 10th corner of the match led to Van Dijk’s goal. The Dutchman currently holds the record for the most goals (23) among all Liverpool defenders in the Premier League era.
Salah’s difficulties finishing are raising worries, yet he registered his 92nd Premier League assist for Liverpool, tying him with Steven Gerrard for the most in the tournament.
