Liverpool’s centre-backs were flawless in their handling of Sunderland‘s direct and physical approach, with the duo key to the 1-0 win on a rain-soaked night in the north east.
Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool
Premier League (26) | Stadium of Light
February 11, 2026
Goal: Van Dijk 61′
A big step forward as Liverpool end Sunderland’s unbeaten home run
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk (R) celebrates with team-mates Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konaté and Hugo Ekitike after scoring the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Okay, so one win doesn’t put everything right, but it is important to praise Liverpool for putting in the sort of performance that has seemed beyond them for much of this season.
How often this term have we spoken about the Reds being frail and incapable of coping with the sort of physical test Sunderland posed here?
Yet they dealt with everything thrown at them in giving up just 0.66 xG and winning 56 duels to their opponents’ 43, all while creating 1.95xG themselves.
That is exactly what you need to do at a ground like the Stadium of Light when the rain is pouring down, and it is a huge credit to Arne Slot and his team that they became the first side to win a league game there this season.
Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk colossal for Liverpool
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Liverpool's Ibrahima Konaté is challenged by Sunderland's Brian Brobbey (L) during the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool were reliant on both Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate putting in flawless displays at the heart of the defence to come through against such a direct approach.
Konate won eight of his nine duels contested as he expertly handled the physical Brian Brobbey up front for the hosts.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, won nine out of 10 and made a whopping 14 clearances before popping up with the winning goal.
That helped Liverpool to their first clean sheet and win combo since beating Brighton at Anfield way back on December 13.
More of the same in the games ahead, please!
Set piece FC strikes again
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk scores the first goal with a header during the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The improvement in Liverpool’s set-piece output since the departure of Aaron Briggs has been so pronounced that you are starting to wonder if his impact was actually a net negative.
And the importance of such situations was once again underlined by the fact that, for all that they dominated this game, the Reds only won it thanks to a corner.
As Arsenal have proved in recent years, being good at set-pieces can allow an average attacking team to become regular title challengers.
Liverpool will hope to offer enough open play threat that they don’t need to emulate the Gunners, but it would do absolutely no harm to sustain the upturn we have seen of late in terms of their output from dead balls.
Wataru Endo’s performance deserved better than serious injury
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: A stretcher on the pitch for Liverpool's Wataru End? as he lies injured during the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Dominik Szoboszlai suspended and both Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley injured, the task of playing right-back in this one fell to midfielder Wataru Endo.
But you certainly would not have known from the Japanese’s performance that he was a makeshift recipient of the role.
Despite coming up against genuine pace that you feared may trouble him, Endo won seven of his 12 duels to help shut down his side of the defence as part of a solid showing.
Unfortunately, Endo’s night ended in disappointing circumstances as he was stretchered from the field with what looked like a serious ankle injury.
That means he looks unlikely to add to what was just his second Premier League start under Arne Slot any time soon, even if he clearly would have earned it.
Worry over Curtis Jones’ future after 6th game without a start
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Liverpool's substitute Curtis Jones on the bench before the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It might not be the headline from this game, but it still felt important that Curtis Jones was not part of the starting XI at the Stadium of Light.
That is now six consecutive games where that has been the case – a run that sandwiched a January window in which the player appeared to be keen on a move to Inter.
There will be just 12 months remaining on Jones’ contract when the season comes to its end, and there seems to have been no progress on agreeing a new one.
Given that the 25-year-old no longer seems to figure prominently in the manager’s plans – even with Alexis Mac Allister struggling badly – it is hardly doom-mongering to point out that the mood music points to a summer exit.