Divock Origi and James Milner scored in the final 15 minutes of the game to earn Liverpool a 2-0 win in a frustrating Premier League clash against Sunderland at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
It looked as though it was going to be a point dropped for Jurgen Klopp's men after they struggled to break the Black Cats down and they lost Philippe Coutinho to a foot injury in the first half.
However, after a spell of probing in the final third, Origi was able to strike, while Milner converted from the penalty spot in the 91st minute to move the club back up to the top of the Premier League table for the time being.
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As expected, Liverpool started on the front foot, but Sunderland stuck to their shape in a bid to frustrate the Reds and prevent them from finding a way through.
Roberto Firmino had an early opportunity after turning away from his marker and shooting from the edge of the box, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford managed to make a comfortable stop.
Pickford was involved a handful of times in the first half, but more often than not, he had easy saves to make, one of which came from Georginio Wijnaldum, who aimed for the bottom corner after cutting inside from the left.
At the other end, Sunderland showed some threat moving forward, and Steven Pienaar almost put them ahead before his scissor kick from close range was blocked by goalkeeper Loris Karius.
There was a moment of nervousness from Liverpool's defence in that move as Billy Jones's high ball caused the backline to hesitate.
Not only were the Liverpool players frustrated in the first half, Klopp was too as he was heard from the touchline urging his team to move the ball around quicker.
The hosts suffered a major blow when their star player Coutinho was stretchered off with a brace on his ankle around the half-hour mark after getting caught on the foot by Didier Ndong in the penalty area.
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The tempo dipped slightly after the Brazilian was forced off the pitch, but Dejan Lovren was a yard wide from putting Liverpool ahead just before half time when he got on the end of Jordan Henderson's pass at the far post before heading across goal.
After the break, Liverpool dominated the ball once again and had some early chances as Emre Can's flick over the top of Sunderland's defence dropped to Wijnaldum, who dragged a right-footed volley wide.
The Reds kept knocking on the door, but they struggled to trouble Pickford as he once again denied Firmino by dropping to his left when the Brazilian struck after breaking away from Pienaar on the edge of the box.
Can sent the ball inches wide from the post on the half-volley, and at the other end, Liverpool's defence were forced to scramble the ball away after Sunderland hit it back into the area after Karius blocked Duncan Watmore's chance.
After piling on the pressure, it eventually paid off for Liverpool when Origi, who replaced Coutinho in the first half, cut inside before curling the ball into the far corner of the net in the 75th minute.
Milner wrapped up the game for his side by slotting from the penalty spot after Ndong caught Sadio Mane in the box after the attacker charged into the danger area.
The result restricts Sunderland's winning run to just two games as they remain in the relegation zone.
Danielle Joynson
