Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Sunderland: Decisive Van Dijk Header Masks Deeper Problem

Stadium of Light, Sunderland – Liverpool escaped Wearside with a 1-0 victory that keeps their Champions League hopes alive, yet the score-line papers over familiar cracks. Virgil van Dijk’s 60th-minute header, glanced in via a deflection off Habib Diarra, proved enough to make Jürgen Klopp’s side the first Premier League club to leave Sunderland with three points this season and trim the gap to Chelsea to two points and Manchester United to three.

The narrative, however, remained unchanged: Liverpool dominated territory and possession but looked blunt against a deep-lying, well-drilled back five. By the interval the visitors had fired 14 shots, only two on target, nearly half from distance, and none that registered as a big chance. Florian Wirtz’s effort that clipped the frame of Robin Roefs’s goal was the solitary flash of incision in a first half that felt more like attack-versus-defence training than a genuine contest.

After the break the pattern persisted. Sunderland retreated further, Liverpool probed without penetration, and the decisive moment arrived from the most reliable source. Van Dijk, imperious all evening, met Mohamed Salah’s corner with a thumping header that left Roefs rooted. The relief inside the away end was palpable; another stumble against a low block had felt inevitable.

The underlying concern is not new. Points dropped to Leeds (home and away), Burnley, Nottingham Forest and now anxiety against Sunderland highlight a systemic struggle to unpick compact defences. With Salah and Cody Gakpo subdued from open play, Liverpool’s only route to goal was congested central corridors or hopeful deliveries toward Hugo Ekitiké, who battled gamely but saw little of the ball in dangerous areas.

Alisson, rarely extended, earned the night’s highest rating for a calm clean sheet that erased memories of his costly error against Manchester City. Ibrahima Konaté subdued Brian Brobbey, while Andy Robertson and stand-in right-back Wataru Endo – pressed into service amid an injury crisis – supplied diligence if not attacking thrust. Endo’s night ended early with what appeared a serious injury, continuing Liverpool’s miserable luck at the position.

In midfield, Alexis Mac Allister oozed composure and Ryan Gravenberch provided physicality, yet neither could accelerate the tempo. Wirtz again looked the most likely creator, twisting away from red-and-white shirts and sliding clever passes that team-mates could not finish. Salah’s corner assist was his only tangible return; from open play he drifted peripheral. Gakpo’s insistence on cutting inside played into Sunderland’s hands, and Ekitiké’s movement was bright but under-utilised.

The result, framed as a pivotal response to mid-week slips by their rivals, will be welcomed inside the dressing room. Yet the broader picture remains troubling: without Van Dijk’s aerial power, Liverpool’s attacking output would have produced another frustrating draw. Until Klomb’s forwards discover a method to stretch and shred deep defences, every fixture against a relegation-threatened opponent will carry an air of vulnerability.

Liverpool Player Ratings Alisson – 8.4 Wataru Endo – 7.4 (subbed 69’) Ibrahima Konaté – 8.0 Virgil van Dijk – 8.6 Andy Robertson – 7.6 Ryan Gravenberch – 7.5 Alexis Mac Allister – 8.1 Mohamed Salah – 7.6 Florian Wirtz – 7.8 Cody Gakpo – 7.5 Hugo Ekitiké – 6.9 Subs: Joe Gomez 6.2, Curtis Jones 6.8

Liverpool, for now, remain in the scrap for a top-five finish; whether they can solve their creativity conundrum will decide if this victory proves a turning point or another false dawn.

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