Liverpool were often frustrated during the game with Sunderland at Anfield as David Moyes’ side set out to defend deep and nick a point, but the Reds kept their patience and eventually got their rewards.
Divock Origi, the man brought on to replace the injured Philippe Coutinho, finally broke the deadlock with a wonderful finish and James Milner saw Sunderland off from the spot in injury time after Sadio Mane was brought down.
Coutinho’s injury was huge blow to Liverpool and time will tell how serious it is, although it did not look good at all.
The Reds will be without their star man for weeks if not months so it was promising that they kept the pressure on Sunderland without him, carving chances to score fairly frequently.
Jurgen Klopp, who found himself playing cheerleader to a frustrated Anfield crowd, was happy with the efforts of his players but will know that there were a few who were not quite at their best.
Here are our player ratings from the game:
Loris Karius - 7
Bar the bizarre goal kick that went straight for a corner, Karius had a very good game. He was quick off his line on a couple of occasions and his distribution, that one incident aside, was excellent.
Nathaniel Clyne - 6
Clyne didn’t have to do much in a defensive sense. He did get forward quite often but never really threatened.
Joel Matip - 7
Defended well on the few occasions he needed to and looked comfortable and composed on the ball.
Dejan Lovren - 7
Again, Sunderland didn’t offer much in attack but Lovren coped well anytime the ball was launched forward.
James Milner - 6
Got forward at every opportunity but was a bit wasteful. However, he put his penalty away as per usual.
Jordan Henderson - 7
Ran the game from the middle of the park, snuffing out any danger when it presented itself. His passing was incisive.
Emre Can - 7
Was a bit sloppy in possession at times but also looked the most likely to unlock the Sunderland defence.
Georginio Wijnaldum - 6
Was very neat and tidy and looked to get forward in support of the front three.
Philippe Coutinho - 6
Was playing pretty well up until he went off injured. Hopefully he’ll be out for a matter of weeks not months.
Sadio Mane - 5
Probably his worst game for the club. It looked like everything he tried didn’t come off. He did win the penalty late on though.
Roberto Firmino - 7
Moved to the left when Coutinho went off but was still involved in the action. After a quiet first half, he came to life after the break.
Divock Origi - 8
Injuries to Coutinho and Sturridge saw Origi get his chance and he took it. His goal was excellent and won the Reds the game.