An early goal from Lazar Markovic was enough for Liverpool to secure a victory against a 10-man Sunderland and move to within four points off fourth-placed Southampton. The visitors set the tone early on, as their sharp, incisive passing created problems for the Black Cats defense. After taking the lead inside the opening 15 minutes, the Reds looked in complete control of the game for the rest of the half. Even the departure of Steven Gerrard at half-time didn’t halt their momentum and Simon Mignolet in the Liverpool goal was largely untroubled as the Reds notched up their fifth away win of the season.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
Markovic makes his mark
Ever since his big-money move from Benfica, there has been a lot of pressure on Lazar Markovic to perform and elevate the Reds attack in the absence of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez. After a tough start, the Serbian has gradually started to prove his worth and has been one of the players that have greatly benefited from the three at the back system that Rodgers has recently deployed.
Against Sunderland, Markovic was the Man of the match by some distance as he scored a goal, hit the post and should have even had a penalty for a foul on him. Although he was technically a right wing back, it looked as though he was playing as a winger and showed plenty of flair on the flanks. He also did his fair share of defensive work and although his performance level dropped slightly after being moved centrally later in the game, he is starting to show just why he was so highly regarded in Portugal.
Sunderland’s worrying plight at the Stadium of Light
Having won just one League game at home all season, the arrival of an in-form Liverpool side who were unbeaten in their last six games was the last thing they would have wanted. But in windy conditions, against a defense that has looked ragged and a goalkeeper whose confidence is at an all-time low, the home fans would surely have wanted to see their side put a fight.
Unfortunately for the fans, their team’s performances on the pitch gave them no respite from the blustering conditions that were prevalent on a cold afternoon in Sunderland. Not only did the Black Cats continue their wretched home form by losing, they also didn’t score, for the 10th time in the League this season. Although they won the Tyne-Wear derby last month, that is their only victory in the last two months. If they continue to struggle at home and keep drawing games away from home, relegation might start to look like a distinct possibility before too long.
Referee in the thick of the action
This hasn’t been a great week for the referees. Former head Keith Hackett criticized the current standard of refereeing in the Premier League by calling the current group of professional referees “the worst that we have seen”. Unfortunately, Craig Pawson’s performance at the Stadium of Light did nothing to prove Hackett wrong as he made some baffling decisions on Saturday.
Pawson’s decision to not award the visitors a penalty for a clear foul on Markovic, early in the game set the tone for what proved to be a thoroughly inconsistent refereeing performance. Whether it was playing the advantage, when the Reds were fouled and stopping play when the hosts clearly had advantage, it was a shocking performance by the 35-year-old. Over the course of the game, his performances infuriated both sets of fans and the tipping point came when he decided to show two yellows to Liam Bridcutt for offences, neither of which merited a yellow card.