Van Dijk speaks out, Liverpool narrowly beats Sunderland

Football result - Virgil van Dijk's single strike helped Liverpool claim a tough win away at Sunderland in the 26th Premier League matchday.

Right after the kickoff, Sunderland took advantage of their home ground and started aggressively with attacks down both flanks, forcing Liverpool's defense to work hard. However, the visitors gradually gained control through smooth short passes in midfield. At the 10th minute, Ibrahima Konate had a chance from a rebound but his shot lacked accuracy. Shortly after, Florian Wirtz and Virgil Van Dijk continuously threatened from set pieces, including a Wirtz shot that hit the post in the 33rd minute, which was very unfortunate.

Sunderland didn’t back down either. Nilson Angulo made an impressive run and unleashed a sharp shot but couldn’t beat Alisson. Before halftime, both teams exchanged attacks but lacked precision at critical moments.

In the second half, Liverpool noticeably increased their pressure. Mohamed Salah constantly caused chaos on the right wing and created several dangerous set-piece opportunities. At the 61st minute, from a corner kick taken by Salah himself, Van Dijk rose high to head the ball into Sunderland’s net, opening the scoring for the visitors. This goal energized Liverpool, while Sunderland had to push forward to seek an equalizer.

The final minutes were intense. Sunderland pressed hard and even appealed for a penalty but were denied. On the other side, Curtis Jones and especially Salah had chances to seal the game, but unfortunately, the Egyptian striker’s one-touch shot in the seventh minute of stoppage time narrowly missed the post.

In the end, Liverpool won by a slim 1-0 margin against Sunderland. This result brought Arne Slot’s team to 42 points, temporarily placing them 6th, three points shy of the top 4. Meanwhile, Sunderland stood 11th with 36 points.