Resolute Liverpool revive Champions League qualification hopes

Sunderland, England – For more than an hour at the Stadium of Light it looked like it was going to be a familiar story liverpool. Arne Slott’s men arrived on Wearside with the aim of doing what no other team had done before Premier League This season: beat newly promoted Sunderland In their home stadium.

Both armory And Manchester City Had already tried and failed to do so. By 61 minutes, the hosts looked set to extend their impressive home record as they held firm in the face of almost constant Liverpool pressure.

but then there was virgil van dijkrose above all and nodded to what would be the winning goal in steely 1-0 The victory of the Premier League champions. It was not a vintage performance by any means, but it displayed a collective sense of grit and determination that has often been lacking for Liverpool this period.

It was telling that perhaps the biggest cheer of the night from the traveling supporters came in the final moments alexis mac allister Slide into a full-blooded tackle to look for the ball for a throw-in at the halfway line. This was not a night of trickery and trickery, but a night where Liverpool simply had to stand up and be counted.

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They did what could prove to be extremely decisive in the race for Champions League qualification, with Slott’s side now just three points adrift of fourth place. Manchester United and two points behind chelsea In the fifth. The fact that both teams dropped points on Tuesday night – against west ham united And leeds united Respectively – perhaps served to sharpen some Liverpool minds ahead of Wednesday’s trip to the North East.

A late burst at home to Manchester City at the weekend had – outwardly, at least – increased the pressure on the slot. and with star man Dominic Szoboszlai Suspended following his late red card at the weekend, optimism within the fan base was a valuable commodity in this clash.

In the first half, supporters who had traveled 170 miles from Merseyside could have been forgiven for fearing the worst as Liverpool failed to assert their dominance against a well-drilled Sunderland side. florian wertz Dazzled from time to time, forced to make a fine save robin rofes And tried against the post, but still the audience could not get success.

By halftime, Liverpool had 68.2% possession and had 14 shots compared to Sunderland’s two. But the slot team has fallen behind by such a good margin this season, it looks like it’s only a matter of time before they have to pay for their profligacy.

But, when doubts started creeping in among the supporters, the players present on the field did not let their focus wander. After struggling from set pieces all season, it was finally a corner – Liverpool’s 10th of the evening – that gave the visitors the lead.

despite this mohammed salah He once again struggled to find his best form on Wednesday night egypt The international still managed to make further history, as his dangerous cross into the penalty box saw him equal Steven Gerrard for most assists (92) for Liverpool in the Premier League era. Meanwhile, captain Van Dijk set his own personal record with his thunderous header, allowing him to overtake Sami Hyypia to become the Reds’ highest-scoring defender in the competition with 23 goals.

Yet, this difficult campaign has been nothing short of straightforward for Liverpool, and so the right-back once again proved to be the makeshift right-back. Wataru Endo – the seventh player to appear in the position this season – was carted off the field with what Slott later described as a “serious” ankle injury. After barely displaying this word, Japan The international had barely put a step wrong when his evening was cruelly ended and replaced by a comeback joe gomez.

But rather than succumb to even more adversity, Liverpool rallied. Ibrahima Konate Particularly excelled in the field of defence. Just a few months earlier, the centre-back was much maligned in some circles, due to a number of individual errors leading Slote to admit that he was “often at the scene of the crime.” However, against the lively brian brobbieKonate continued his remarkable resurgence, denying the Dutch international a certain goal with a superb late challenge in the second half.

Slott said of Konate’s performance, “Impressed but not surprised.” “He’s an example, almost throughout our season, he’s been very unlucky. He’s had games where he’s been very good for 89 minutes and then one moment ruins our game, his game. It’s not always about him, but there have been a few times where it’s happened and then everyone’s focused on his mistake.

But soccer players make mistakes and the ball doesn’t always go in. I was only asked about the last 10 minutes and I said the good thing is that we did not give any chance. Against City we did not give any chances after the first minute until the 84th minute, then we gave one chance. “So it was nice to barely get a chance and Ibou was a big part of it along with Virgil, but I liked the mentality of the whole team.”

Of course, that mentality will be tested again in the coming weeks and months as Liverpool continue their quest for Champions League qualification. This season, progress has not always been linear and has often been hampered by a plethora of false dawns.

However, for now, Liverpool have shown that they can take battles and win. If they want a seat at Europe’s top table next season, they will need to continue to show they can win battles.