Full Time, Liverpool 2-0:
Four minutes added.
Liverpool hold the ball in their own half under little pressure — Sunderland seems pretty resigned to defeat.
A clearance is sent Dalglish’s way, but his first touch doesn’t control it. He picks the bouncing ball up, and laughs it off.
Liverpool knocks it around, but Cole commits a foul in midfield, and Bramble kicks it forward. Johnson clears, and Liverpool controls the ball.
Al Muhammadi commits a foul, which ends it, as the whistle blows. 2-0 Liverpool.
90′, Liverpool 2-0:
Cole on for Suarez — Hamstring injury (appears minor)
Malbranque fouls Kuyt in the Liverpool attacking half.
Suarez goes down, stretching out his groin and then limping off. It’s unclear exactly what happened.
Joe Cole comes on for him for the final stretch.
87′, Liverpool 2-0: Cattermole fires a nice long-range effort, but Reina makes the save comfortably.
Gyan fouls Lucas in midfield, and Sessegnon comes over to give Lucas a bump thereafter.
84′, Liverpool 2-0:
Maxi on for Meireles.
Suarez’s free kick is too high.
Sunderland controls in midfield, but Liverpool is now content to sit behind the ball. The Reds win possession, and keep the ball.
81′, Liverpool 2-0:
Red Card (straight) — Mensah, tackling Suarez as the last man.
Kuyt finds Ngog in the area, but he fouls the defender upon receiving the ball.
Skrtel and Gyan get into an altercation, and Bramble comes over to try to contain the furious striker.
Suarez is fouled at the edge of the area by Mensah on a longball. He’s already on a yellow, and he’s shown a red — straight up. He was the last man.
78′, Liverpool 2-0:
Goal — Suarez, great tight-angle shot after run from the right.
The ball falls for Gyan in the area, and while there is contact with Agger, nothing is awarded — he was already going to ground.
Liverpool controls in midfield, and then wins a deep throw down the right.
Kuyt slips Suarez the ball, and he makes a run down the right all the way down the end line.
He beats two defenders and curls it in at the near post — what a goal. Suarez! 2-0.
75′, Liverpool 1-0: Liverpool sets up forward well, and Carragher finds Spearing at the edge of the area. He shoots on target, but Minolet saves well for a corner.
Meireles’ ball is cleared all the way back to Reina.
The play again runs end to end, but Ngog is called for a foul in midfield as he and Suarez were on the break.
72′, Liverpool 1-0:
Ngog on for Carroll.
Sunderland creates significant danger, holding the ball in the area, but Gyan’s cross is too long, and Al Muhammadi has to chase it down away from goal.
Kuyt sends a good ball for Meireles, but he is just offside.
Ngog comes on for Carroll, who made it pretty long as he continues to get his fitness back.
69′, Liverpool 1-0:
Yellow Card — Suarez, complaining, Kuyt, poor tackle
Kuyt fouls Bardsley in midfield, adding to the card total.
The sides go end to end with lengthy runs before Sunderland sets up in the final third. They are chased back to midfield, and then win a series of throws on the left.
66′, Liverpool 1-0: Sessegnon makes a good run down the right for Sunderland, and he wins a corner.
Al Muhammadi gets his head to it, but it is deflected. He then gets a shot off, which is again deflected for another corner.
The second corner is headed up and then collected by Reina.
At the other end, a cross in by Kuyt fools Minolet, but it is partially cleared and then cleared.
63′, Liverpool 1-0:
Al Muhammadi on for Welbeck
Yellow — Lucas
Sunderland is rebuffed on a number of incursions forward, but finally, Henderson attempts to chip Reina, but his shot is well high.
60′, Liverpool 1-0: Suarez creates some danger at the top of the area, combining with Meireles, who crosses in, but misses everybody.
Suarez makes a great run in midfield, but he gives it back to Sunderland, and the Black Cats have some forward space. Eventually, Gyan is called offside.
57′, Liverpool 1-0: Sunderland comes forward, and Malbranque shoots — a little bit high and wide of the top corner.
Meireles commits a foul in midfield, but Bardsley’s ball forward is well too far for Welbeck.
Malbranque has another long run up the center, but he loses out at the top of the area.
54′, Liverpool 1-0:
Sunderland Yellows thus far — Gyan, Cattermole, Bramble
After a spell of disjointed play, Liverpool has a countering chance. Carroll gets in free behind, and he’s challenged by Bramble, but the ball falls to Meireles free.
Minolet goes down low, and Meireles shoots far too high.
The advantage was played, and Bramble is given a yellow.
It is pulled back, and Liverpool now has a set piece. Suarez takes it well, but it deflects just wide for a goal kick.
51′, Liverpool 1-0: Liverpool has looked dangerous on the counter — and that appears to be the form of proceedings going forward.
Suarez beats Ferdinand down the left for a corner — scrappy play.
Meireles’ corner is a great one, and Carroll heads it on target at the far post. Somehow, it is cleared off the line by Cattermole — what a chance.
48′, Liverpool 1-0: Sunderland again starts out the half with the better part of the possession. They dictated the play in the first half, though they took a grand total of zero shots in the first 45.
The Black Cats win a corner right off, but Henderson takes it short. He gets it back and chips in, and it’s a great ball, but everybody misses it somehow.
Suarez is released, and he finds Johnson in the area, but he goes down — clearly no penalty.
Half, Liverpool 1-0:
Three minutes added.
Sunderland again assaults down the right, getting behind and crossing in to no effect a couple of times.
Cattermole finds Gyan in the mdidle, and after a few turns, he loses out.
Meireles’ ball forward for Carroll is cleared, but Liverpool maintains possession.
Sunderland wins it back, and Sessegnon roves down the right all the way to the corner, but he loses out to Spearing for a goal kick.
The sides exchange possession for a couple of minutes, and the whistle blows. Half.
42′, Liverpool 1-0: Another tricky Welbeck run is cut out by Liverpool, and a poor clearance at the other end results in a throw on the right.
Sunderland clears better this time, and the teams exchange in midfield.
Lucas sends a good ball forward for Carroll, and it results in a corner on the right.
Carroll gets the header off the corner, but he couldn’t threaten goal.
39′, Liverpool 1-0: Spearing sends a longball that finds Suarez, and he strikes it perfectly towards the far post, but Minolet makes a great save. Carroll tries to head the rebound, but Minolet saves again.
36′, Liverpool 1-0: Lucas commits a foul at the edge of the final third.
The set piece isn’t taken well, going for a goal kick.
Suarez crosses in, and Bramble nearly makes a mistake in the box, but Sunderland clears.
33′, Liverpool 1-0:
Goal — Kuyt — Penalty (Off a poor call)
A huge mistake at the back by Mensah gives it right to Spearing, and he has to cover by fouling Spearing at the edge of the area. It was outside of the box, but the assistant calls a penalty.
Kuyt converts the kick from the spot. 1-0 Liverpool.
30′, 0-0: Liverpool gets back on the ball finally, but Johnson’s run is curtailed by Sessegnon.
Sunderland counters, and Sessegnon, Henderson and Gyan combine well, but Gyan attempts a through pass, not a shot, at the top of the box, and Reina gathers it.
27′, 0-0: Sunderland keeps the pressure on with some crosses in from the left with numbers in the area, but Liverpool clears them well.
Sunderland again builds from Midfield, but Welbeck commits a poor foul in the area on what was an intricate piece of play between himself and Henderson.
Carroll knocks down the goal kick well, but nobody can get on the end of it.
24′, 0-0:
Kieran Richardson Off for Steed Malbranque.
Sunderland has already been forced into two changes due to injury in the first quarter of the match — though Malbranque and Cattermole are often first team fixtures.
Sunderland continues to retain all sorts of possession in the Liverpool half. Welbeck, Gyan, and Sessegnon are just too tricky for the the Liverpool defenders right now.
21′, 0-0:
Lee Cattermole on for Sulley Muntari.
Sunderland’s longball forces a Johnson clearance for throw on the right. The cross in is cleared, and Suarez finds Carroll, but it gets caught in his feet.
Suarez makes another run forward, but he doesn’t find a runner — he expresses his frustration.
A mistake in the box gives Meireles and Suarez a chance on an empty goal from the right side, but it goes for a corner.
Meireles’s ball is too high for Carroll.
18′, 0-0: Welbeck commits a foul in midfield, and Liverpool builds from their own half.
They longball, and Sunderland wins it — they’ve emerged as the better side of late.
Welbeck and Gyan terrorize the Liverpool left, and a cross beats Reina and just misses two Black Cats — very dangerous.
A counter emerges, and Suarez brings it up the pitch in space. He finds Carroll, but Carroll’s final ball doesn’t give Spearing enough space to shoot, and Sunderland clears.
Titus Bramble has now gone off the pitch injured for Sunderland.
15′, 0-0: Meireles takes the kick pretty well, and Agger gets his head to it, but he’s nowhere near the target and a whistle blew.
Sunderland gets the ball off the goal kick, and they win a throw up the right. Some tricky play creates danger, but Spearing clears.
Sunderland presses off a goal kick, and they win the ball and very nearly release Gyan in front of goal.
12′, 0-0: Liverpool clears, but Sunderland retains possession through Welbeck on the right.
Spearing commits handball, but the advantage is played and Welbeck slashes through the middle. He can’t, however, beat the last man.
Sunderland gets it right back, but Ferdinand’s cross from the right is a poor one — right to Reina.
Finally, Liverpool gets on the ball, with Kuyt winning a throw deep on the right.
Suarez wins a free kick in a very dangerous area — just on the right of the box.
9′, 0-0: The teams trade the ball in midfield, leading to a Sunderland throw on the left.
A ball in is poorly cleared in the area, and Henderson wins a throw on the right. In the corner, though, Johnson wins the goal kick.
Reina’s longball is nearly butchered at the back by Sunderland, but the ball is nervily headed back to Minolet.
Sunderland comes forward well again, holding possession in the final third — both teams have really shown something already.
6′, 0-0: Suarez makes a run down the left and wins a corner for the Reds.
Carroll gets to Meireles’ ball at the back post. He knocks it down to Kuyt right in front of goal, but Minolet makes a good aggressive save — another corner.
Kuyt gets a free header to this corner, but he hits it over the crossbar — another good chance.
Johnson sends a ball from midfield over the top to Suarez, but it is too long.
3′, 0-0: After an openeing exchange in midfield, Agger makes a minor mistake at the back, conceding a throw to Henderson. He and Welbeck nearly combine to open things up in the area.
Lucas fouls Gyan at the edge of the final third, but Muntari’s kick is blocked and cleared.
9 a.m.: The day has finally come for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll to join forces on the pitch.
It couldn’t come at a better time, as the Reds look to stabilize a topsy-turvy run of form and consolidate their hold on the sixth spot at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland.
A win could also bring Liverpool within four points of sputtering Spurs for the fifth spot in the league, while a loss would bring the Black Cats to within a point of Liverpool, with Bolton and Everton also lurking close behind.
The Reds, however, won’t be the only team fielding its strongest side. Sunderland has also received a number of injury boosts, with Danny Welbeck back in the lineup.
Kickoff is set for 9:30 a.m.:
Lineups are as follows:
Liverpool:
Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Daniel Agger (5), center back
Glen Johnson (2), left back
Jamie Carragher (23), right back
Lucas (21), midfielder
Jay Spearing (26), midfielder
Raul Meireles (4), left wing
Dirk Kuyt (18), right wing
Andy Carroll (9), forward
Luis Suarez (7), forward
Substitutes:
Joe Cole (10)
Maxi Rodriguez (17)
Christian Poulsen (28)
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (16)
David Ngog (24)
Peter Gulacsi (42)
Danny Wilson (22)
Sunderland:
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Titus Bramble (19), defender
John Mensah (5), defender
Phil Bardsley (2), defender
Anton Ferdinand (29), defender
Jordan Henderson (10), midfielder
Sulley Muntari (11), midfielder
Kieran Richardson (3), midfielder
Danny Welbeck (17), midfielder
Stephane Sessegnon (28), midfielder
Asamoah Gyan (33), forward
Substitutes:
Steed Malbranque (8)
Bolo Zenden (7)
Craig Gordon (1)
Nedum Onuha (15)
Lee Cattermole (6)
Jack Colback (25)
Ahmed Al Muhammadi (27)
