Klopp pumps up the volume to crack stubborn Sunderland
The goals had been raining in all season at Anfield, but none have been met with the wave of relief that greeted substitute Divock Origi’s low shot that finally snapped stubborn Sunderland’s resistance and kept Liverpool on the pace at the top of the Premier League.
Free-scoring Liverpool had hit 17 goals in five home league matches but frustration was mounting before Origi’s crucial intervention, just as the lowly Wearsiders were looking poised to muzzle the home side’s prolific attack.
After a goalless draw at Southampton in their previous match, Liverpool are finding the goal magic harder to conjure, but in front of freshly-retired Anfield legend Steven Gerrard, they grafted a victory, embellished by James Milner’s late penalty, that paid tribute to the powers of perseverance.
There was, however, another injury blow for Jürgen Klopp’s side when Philippe Coutinho, scorer of six goals and creator of five more this season, was carried off with an ankle injury just after the half-hour mark.
Coutinho was left writhing in agony after appearing to be caught by Didier Ndong as he turned inside Billy Jones in the Sunderland penalty area. After receiving on-field treatment for several minutes, the Brazilian was carried off on a stretcher with his right leg in a protective splint.
Klopp, who had ventured along the touchline to exhort the fans to pump up the volume as his side toiled to find a way through in the second half, said: “I’m not sure I’ve ever played a more defensive team than today. I don’t know how many touches their forwards had. But with the quality we have we force teams to play on the defence.
“We all need to learn to handle a situation like this but I believe in atmosphere. It is a big, big part of the game. The crowd was really good in the first half but, in the second half, it was ‘come on’. Atmosphere makes things easier and that’s why I tried to remind the crowd and after that it was easier for everyone to enjoy themselves.”
It was another painful afternoon at Anfield for Sunderland manager David Moyes. The former Everton and Manchester United manager has now failed to win in 14 attempts in the red citadel of Liverpool.
Sunderland have not won at Anfield since 1983 and so approached their Anfield mission with understandable caution.
Holding midfielder Jason Denayer was quick to shore up the right flank whenever Milner threatened to get forward, while Jermain Defoe’s attacking instincts were tempered by similar duties on the opposite wing, where Nathaniel Clyne and Sadio Mané posed a dual threat. It was a barrier that Liverpool found difficult to penetrate, the clearest chance in a quiet opening coming when Georginio Wijnaldum was given space inside the visitors’ penalty area to turn and shoot, though goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved cleanly.
Liverpool started without the creative qualities of Adam Lallana, recover- ing from a groin injury sustained on England duty this month, and with little more than half an hour gone, Coutinho’s departure reduced their artistic abilities yet further.
Yet they stepped up the threat after the restart. Clyne just failed to control the ball as he angled in, Mané miscued from six yards out and Milner was squeezed out as he tried to touch in.
It was a full-on Liverpool siege. Emre Can crashed a half-volley wide and Roberto Firminho turned the ball across a gaping goal, Jordan Henderson dispatched a free-kick marginally too high. It was unrelenting and the pressure finally told with 15 minutes left.
Origi, who had replaced the unfortunate Coutinho, gathered the ball out on the left and appeared to be shaping for a cross. Instead, his low, swinging shot seemed to catch Pickford unawares.
Liverpool rounded it off in the 90th minute, Milner firing home from the penalty spot after Denayer had brought down Mané.
Moyes, whose lowly side had won their two previous matches and looked equipped to fight their way out of the bottom three, said: “The players did a good job in managing the game but in the end it wasn’t good enough.”