Arne Slot gives his verdict to TNT. “In almost all of the things we did, we did really well … we had to defend a lot of long balls … set pieces … we won a lot of second balls … on the ball we were very good … the only thing I can be not so positive about is that if you generate so many chances you should score more than one goal … but today that was enough because we defended very, very, very well in all phases of the game … “a little bit of bad luck” [quoting TNT’s question, which suggested Liverpool had some good luck on their side for the winner] would not be the word I would use for this season … if you look at all the chances we created it tells you something that we needed this luck to score a goal … there were so many better chances … although our set pieces today were also very good … which is nice because we haven’t been the best team in the league for set pieces … [set pieces] make for so many teams in this league a big difference … it’s one of the first times it makes a difference for us … if you play for Liverpool or manage Liverpool every game is a must-win … that’s the pressure you should embrace otherwise you’re in the wrong place.”

He also reports that Wataru Endō’s injury “doesn’t look good … I expect him to be out unfortunately for a long time … what a mentality for him that things didn’t look good but he stayed on the pitch to defend one more set piece.”

Hopefully the managers will be along toot sweet, but for now it’s Florian Wirtz’s turn to chat with TNT. “We had to bring everything on the pitch to get the win here … everyone knows it’s not easy … so we are really happy to have the three points … very important for us … every good game gives you confidence … you cannot impact every game … of course you want to … everyone knows we have to stay focused until the last minute … we did it brilliantly today … not conceding a goal … we are very happy about that … the club deserves to win trophies … us as players we also want to win something … [Brighton at home in the FA Cup on Saturday] is an opportunity to go a step closer to a trophy so we want to take that … let’s see.”

The final xG score: Sunderland 0.66, Liverpool 1.95.

Virgil van Dijk speaks to TNT Sports. “Great win … hard work … a very interesting, difficult pitch … pleased with the three points … recover and go again at the weekend … it was the same for both teams … quite the circumstances … well deserved … great game … we’ll take it … [Sunderland] showed this season how difficult it is to beat them … a lot of credit to them … their fans make it a good atmosphere … we kept a clean sheet … a good match for us … Ibou was outstanding … Macca in front … everyone was putting a shift in … unfortunately Wata going off … the guys worked so hard for us … great to see … we can’t deny [the three points] feels very big but there are still 12 more games to go … we have to try to keep improving … find consistency … against City we did well apart from the last ten minutes … so we have to try to keep building … try to stay fit … stay confident … today was a great step forward with and without the ball.”

The match-winner Virgil van Dijk shows little emotion. Arne Slot allows himself a smile, though, and no wonder: this result has given him a little wriggle room and bolstered Liverpool’s hopes of finishing in a Champions League spot. They were the better team tonight, with Florian Wirtz again impressive, Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté staunch, and Mo Salah improved, if still lacking a bit of confidence with the final pass and shot. But how Sunderland made them work for all three points. They didn’t put Alisson to work, but Brian Brobbey’s match-long battle with Konaté epitomised the spirit that’s got them into mid-table comfort. They’ll be fine. As for Liverpool, they’ve bagged a crucial three points at a pivotal stage of the season, and reclaim some ground as they attempt to chase down Manchester United and Chelsea.

90 min +7: A long ball hoofed into the Liverpool box. Ballard tugs Van Dijk to the ground, and that should be that.

90 min +6: Salah again down the inside-right channel. He swishes a smooth half-volley across Roefs and inches wide of the bottom left. Liverpool have an xG of 1.84, but Sunderland (0.66) are still in this!

90 min +5: Salah scampers after a long punt down the inside-right channel. He prepares to shoot as he enters the box, but Geertruida nips in to squeeze the ball out for a corner. Not far from finding the bottom right of his own goal, to be fair. Nothing comes of the set piece. But Liverpool come again with the press, and Roefs sells Jones an outrageous dummy! Then nearly undoes all of his stylish work by hovering over the clearance and nearly getting closed down by the recovering Jones. He clears in time. The tension at the Stadium of Light is palpable.

90 min +4: Liverpool play some keep-ball in the Sunderland half. Meanwhile, on TNT, former Sunderland striker names possible match-winner Virgil van Dijk as his man of the match.

90 min +3: Isidor comes on for Diarra, Sunderland’s last roll of the dice.

90 min +2: Mundle jinks in from the left and runs slap-bang into Mac Allister. He wants a penalty, but there’s no way he’s getting one.

90 min +1: Talbi crosses high from the right. At the far stick, Gomez, ice in the veins, cushions a header into the arms of Alisson. What fine defence!

90 min: … and yes, as expected, there will be seven additional minutes.

89 min: The Liverpool fans are in good voice as their team edges towards the line. But there’s going to be a fair bit of added time due to Endo’s injury, and Liverpool have already conceded four 90+min winners this season, tying the all-time Premier League record with Watford (17-18 and 21-22), West Ham (21-22) and Southampton (24-25). One more and they’ll hold this unwanted record all by themselves.

88 min: Ekitike is replaced by Chiesa.

87 min: Jones and Ekitike combine on the halfway line to spring a Liverpool counter. Wirtz cuts back from the right to tee up Jones, who aims for the top-left corner, but it’s always heading over. Not sure Roefs would have got there had it been on target.

86 min: Mukiele crosses from the right, but inaccurately, allowing Alisson to claim. Liverpool are sitting back and inviting trouble. We’ve seen this movie before.

85 min: Geertruida nearly finds Le Fee down the left channel, but overhits the pass. Alisson smothers. Should Geertruida have taken his chances from the edge of the box? He had a little bit of time.

84 min: Le Fee slips a ball down the inside-left for Brobbey, who has the chance to turn away from the out-of-position Van Dijk and shoot, but slips at the crucial moment. Van Dijk takes his chance to close his man down.

82 min: Mundle is in the thick of it immediately, probing down the left but unable to get past Salah and Gomez. Meanwhile here’s Kári Tulinius: “I’ve thought Wataru Endo has been excellent when he’s featured for Liverpool, but he’s been absolutely crucial for Japan, where he anchors the midfield. I hope that the injury won’t affect his participation in the World Cup, because at full strength Samurai Blue are a really good side to watch and could go far.”

80 min: Sunderland make a triple change. Alderete, Hume and Angulo are replaced by Mundle, Talbi (who scored at Anfield in December) and Geertruida (who nearly joined Liverpool in the window that’s just shut).

78 min: Wirtz crosses from the left for Ekitike, who steers a downward header across Roefs and inches wide of the bottom-left corner. A big miss, and one that’s almost identical to the one against Manchester City last Sunday.

77 min: A stat from TNT Sports: Salah’s assist for the goal puts him on 92 in the Premier League, tying a Liverpool record with Steven Gerrard.

76 min: Mukiele turns smoothly into space down the right before suffering a rush of blood and hoicking an overly ambitious shot over the bar from a tight angle. In the middle, Le Fee le-fumes.

75 min: Jones comes on for Gakpo. These late-game defensive subs haven’t always worked well for Arne Slot this season, so let’s see how this one pans out.

74 min: Ekitike has the opportunity to release Salah into the box down the right, but seriously overhits the pass. Ekitike has been excellent this season, though his decision making with the final ball has sometimes been lacking. Something to work on.

72 min: It’s Brobbey versus Konate again! The former prepares to swivel and shoot near the penalty spot. He's about to cock his leg and smash home, when Konate, sticking to his shoulder once again, executes a high-tariff block-and-clear tackle. A brief shout for a penalty, but only from the fans, not the players. Brobbey-Konate has been box-office tonight.

71 min: Salah curls a shot in from the right. It pings off Le Fee’s arm, but there won’t be a penalty as the player was facing the other way and didn’t have a clue what was going on. Ekitike tries to flick the rebound home, but loops over the bar from close range. That’s a big chance.

69 min: Sunderland’s supporters give Endo a warm ovation as he disappears down the tunnel. Van Dijk deals with the corner at the restart. “Did Liverpool’s defensive coach walk under a ladder, trip over a black cat and break the mirror he was holding?” wonders Patrick Crumlish. “Something weird going on with even the emergency right-backs. When Endo gets injured, you know there’s a curse.”

68 min: I’m not sure why Endo didn’t stay down after suffering his injury. He sportingly got up to keep the game going, but at awful personal cost. He covers his eyes as he’s lifted off the pitch. Gomez will come on in his place. Liverpool’s right-back position appears to be cursed this season.

66 min: Endo stood firm, part of an all-hands-to-pump defence of that Sunderland corner. So brave. Perhaps too brave, because the poor guy is in serious pain. On comes the stretcher, but before he can be loaded onto it, he’s given a toot of gas. Liverpool’s injury woes this season show no sign of abating.

64 min: The corner, with Endo in all sorts of trouble, is defended in the last-ditch fashion by Liverpool. Alisson punches clear amid some high-speed pinball. Gravenberch finally turns the ball out for a corner, but before it can be taken, Endo goes down again. He surely can’t continue. He’s in some distress. He turned his ankle horribly.

62 min: Sunderland look for the instant response. Mukiele crosses from the right. Angulo waits to sweep home from six yards, but Endo sticks out a leg to divert out for a corner. Then Endo falls on that leg. Ooyah. That’s going to hurt, his ankle turned sickeningly. But he bravely gets up, hobbling badly, to defend the corner!

60 min: … there’s a lot of jostling between Konate and Ballard before it can be taken …

59 min: Ekitike makes good down the left and cuts back for Salah, in space on the penalty spot. Salah aims a first-timer towards the top left, but the shot pings off Alderete. One corner from the right leads to another, and from that …

58 min: Mukiele cuts in from the right and sends a daisycutter inches wide of the right-hand post. Alisson had it covered. Sunderland have obviously been given the what-for by Le Bris, because they’ve been much improved since the break.

57 min: Brobbey barrels after a long pass down the inside-left channel. Once again he can’t get past Konate, who sticks to him like glue. Then the flag goes up for offside, though had Brobbey won that duel, and scored, VAR might have wanted a word. That was borderline.

55 min: Liverpool have finally turned up for the second half. Wirtz, then Endo, take turns to shoot from the edge of the box. Both efforts are blocked. Wirtz setting himself up with a wall pass off Gravenberch there. The home fans suddenly get a little agitated.

54 min: Salah has been a bit livelier tonight than of late, and now he earns a corner down the right. He takes it himself … and sends it swinging under the crossbar. Roefs does very well to punch clear under extreme pressure.

53 min: Angulo nearly breaks into the box from the left. Mac Allister stands firm and steals the ball off him. Angulo pulls him back. Some honest old-fashioned scrapping, hard but fair.

52 min: Gravenberch finds Ekitike on the edge of the Sunderland D, the striker’s back to goal. Ekitike flicks around the corner, hoping Wirtz would read the intent. Wirtz doesn’t read the intent. Roefs picks up possession. Ekitike hangs out an arm unnecessarily and catches the keeper on the neck. Roefs goes down theatrically. The referee wisely tells both grown men to stop playing silly buggers.

50 min: Hume tries his luck from 25 yards. It’s a decent effort, aimed towards the top right but always clearing the bar. Alisson had it covered. Sunderland have enjoyed 79 percent of possession since the restart.

49 min: Now it’s Ekitike’s turn to showcase some exquisite skill, flicking the ball past Ballard on the left touchline and accelerating into space. But he wastes the fine work by losing control under no pressure whatsoever when cutting infield. Promising signs from both attacks in the early exchanges of this second half, though.

47 min: Angulo elegantly Cruyff-turns his way past Endo down the left but Van Dijk heads his cross clear easily enough. Lovely initial show of skill, though. And speaking of old-school World Cup imagery … “Liverpool’s shade of green looks the same as the one used in alternate Germany kits of yesteryear,” observes Peter Oh. “If Wirtz roofs one in past Roefs you can colour me mighty relieved!”

Liverpool get the second half underway. No changes.

Half-time pint.

Half-time show.

45 min +1: Sadiki twists around Mac Allister down the right, and crosses low. While Gravenberch is clearing a harmless cross, Brobbey goes over while wrestling with his old foe Konate. A quick VAR check but there’s nothing in that. All very soft.

45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute.

44 min: Diarra goes down, having taken a heavy touch, then a heavy whack from Gakpo. Happily he’s back up on his feet soon enough.

43 min: … Salah loops weakly into the hands of Roefs. That little story could have been more rhythmically satisfying.

42 min: A corner on the left leads to two more on the right. And from the second one …

41 min: Robertson is released into the Sunderland box down the left. From a tight angle, he bashes a low cross-cum-shot into the six-yard box. Roefs, his legs a-tangle, nearly deflects backwards into his own net. Just wide left.

40 min: Mac Allister pings Endo into space down the right. Endo slaps a poor cross straight at Roefs, with Ekitike waiting to sidefoot home. It’s not exactly breaking news, but Liverpool miss Trent.

39 min: A ball rolling down the Sunderland inside-right channel. Brobbey momentarily looks like getting ahead of Konate, but the defender stays strong and ushers him away from goal. Sunderland want a free kick, suggesting Konate was tugging the striker, but replays show the attacker doing most of the armwork.

38 min: Salah curls a cross in from the right. Wirtz competes half-heartedly for a header with Roefs, and the keeper wins that duel easily enough. Sunderland counter, and Angulo dribbles in from the left. He makes space, 25 yards out, and has a dig. Straight at Alisson.

36 min: … Gakpo makes good down the left and cuts back for Van Dijk, who tries to scoop a shot goalwards from 12 yards. The ball pings off Alderete for a corner, from which nothing comes. It feels like a Liverpool goal is in the post.

35 min: Liverpool are on top now. Ekitike, Gakpo and Robertson combine down the left to draw a foul. And from a free kick quickly taken by Robertson …

33 min: Robertson crosses from the byline on the left. Endo isn’t who they’d ideally want at the far stick. His cross finds Gakpo on the left. The ball’s cut back to Wirtz, who shifts the ball inches left to make space, then sends a forensic shot through a crowded box, diagonally left to right, and off the base of the right-hand post! A super-smart effort that deserved full reward. But Wirtz and Liverpool don’t receive their dues.

32 min: Sunderland win another throw deep in Liverpool territory. Hume goes short, gets the ball back, and loops it harmlessly into the arms of Alisson. Liverpool counter briskly, and Ekitike has a whack that momentarily discombobulates Reinildo.

31 min: … Van Dijk flicks a header over at the near post. That’s a good chance, and you’d expect Liverpool’s captain to hit the target at the very least.

30 min: Now Wirtz has a pop from long range. His effort is whistling towards the bottom left, but Roefs extends fully to punch around the post. That’s a very decent effort with a save to match. And from Gakpo’s corner …

29 min: Gravenberch lines up a shot from distance. Brobbey blocks.

28 min: Liverpool, the words of Ian Copestake (21 min) ringing in their lugs, try to up the pace. Wirtz buzzing around, playing a couple of cute balls around the corner. But Sunderland are well drilled, and there are no gaps.

27 min: The home fans warmly applaud the memory of George Forster, a Sunderland fan who passed away recently at the grand old age of 99. Rest well, sir.

26 min: Gravenberch floats a long cross in from the right. Robertson competes for a header at the far stick, but the ball sails high over his neep. Goal kick.

24 min: Reinildo is booked for tugging back Salah on the halfway line. On TNT Sports, some world-class effing and jeffing can be heard from the Sunderland executive boxes. Marvellous pre-watershed entertainment.

23 min: The xG right now: Sunderland 0.11, Liverpool 0.04. The defending champions. Liverpool have only won three times on the road this season, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised.

21 min: “Given the number of times Livepool face a side sitting back you’d think they’d have worked out how to cut through them. Like passing quicker?” Ian Copestake there, very possibly frustrated. With this criticism taken on board, Wirtz and Robertson speed it up down the left and look for Ekitike in the middle. The ball breaks off Hume and nearly squeaks into the bottom left. Just wide. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

19 min: Angulo creams a pass down the right for Mukiele, who sends in a low first-time cross. Brobbey prepares to slam goalwards from six yards, but Konate sticks out a leg to clear. That’s fine attacking, fine defending, fine play all round.

18 min: More possession for the hosts, who have done a good job of checking Liverpool’s brief burst of attacking momentum.

16 min: Sunderland respond with their first period of possession in a wee while. Ballard looks for Diarra down the right but wily old Robertson strides across to shepherd the ball out for a goal kick.

14 min: Konate plays a clever low fizzing pass down the inside-right channel, nearly releasing Salah. Reinildo nips in to intercept, just in time. A nanosecond later and Salah was in.

13 min: Liverpool have enjoyed 75 percent of possession so far.

12 min: Liverpool continue to probe. Gakpo and Ekitike take turns to examine the inside-left channel, but again there’s no way through. Both teams will be happy enough with their start.

10 min: Alisson’s long blooter down the middle nearly releases Salah through on goal. Roefs is wise to the grift, and races from his box to whack clear.

9 min: After a storming Sunderland start, Liverpool are beginning to get a bit of a foothold in this game. The hosts sitting back and holding their shape. Gakpo cuts in from the left but there’s no route to goal. His half-hearted cross is easily cleared; Konate suffers a rush of blood to the head and attempts a shot from 30 yards. It flies roughly the same distance over the bar, and wide left also.

7 min: Back in the 1980s, there used to be a Liverpool fanzine called Another Wasted Corner. And that was during the club’s all-conquering pomp. Anyway, they’re still at it.

6 min: Salah and Ekitike combine down the inside-right channel and feed Wirtz, who bursts into the box and wins Liverpool’s first corner of the evening. Salah to take.

5 min: Liverpool get a prolonged touch of the ball for the first time. Mac Allister swings a cross in from the right. Ekitike challenges for a header but Roefs comes off his line to punch powerfully clear.

4 min: Sunderland win a throw deep in Liverpool territory. Hume is expected to fling it in long, but takes it short instead, and soon enough the ball’s back at the feet of Roefs. A bit odd. Sunderland perhaps keeping their powder dry, if literally nothing else.

2 min: … the ball’s played back to Angulo, who tries to trick Alisson at his near post. The keeper reads the danger and claims. That’s got the home fans, already giving it plenty, going some. Meanwhile here’s Peter Oh: “Liverpool have had such bad luck with injuries, shipping comical last-gasp goals, and suspensions. How could things possibly get worse? Running into eleven Black Cats maybe? Sigh.”

1 min: It has been belting down on Wearside all day. It’s still raining. Windy as well. And Sunderland are on the front foot early doors, Mukiele in space on the right and winning a very early corner off Robertson. From which …

After Prokofiev and Republica, some Elvis. They can’t help falling in love with them. And they – Sunderland – get the ball rolling. What an atmosphere!

No pre-match pow-wow with Régis Le Bris, who’ll have been doing his talking in the changing room. So here come the teams. Sunderland in their famous red and white stripes, Liverpool in third-choice “sea green” with gloriously retro 70s/80s shield. The home fans standing on the rooftops shouting out. We’ll be off in a minute!

Arne Slot talks to TNT Sports. “Throughout the whole season [the right-back position] is like this … it is not going to be the first time that Wata Endo is playing as a full-back … we have struggled in that position a lot … not because we don’t have one, but the two we have, have been injured a lot … a very good replacement [Joe Gomez] has mainly not been there when the two others are out … I have two good full-backs on [the left side] … it is another time we have played three games in seven days … that is different than three in eight … not many times Milos [Kerkez] has done this because he comes from Bournemouth where he did not play in Europe … the few times I did [select him] he struggled a little bit with playing so many times … [Andrew Robertson] is a great replacement to have.”

Penny for the thoughts of Calvin Ramsay, right-back by trade, sitting on the bench. Meanwhile Slot is asked about the race for the Champions League places: “We know what we have to do, 13 games to be played … we have to win a lot of them to get to the position we want to be … maybe yesterday the results were not too bad for us but this can change every week and we have to focus on ourselves … get as many points as we can.”

Here’s a reminder of what happened when the teams met in the reverse fixture at Anfield a couple of months ago. In both traditional match report and new-fangled MBM format, for your leisure and pleasure.

Shoogly Peg latest. At the start of the season, if you’d been told one of tonight’s managers would be worried about the status of their coat on the aforementioned hanging point, your concerns would surely have been for Régis Le Bris. Ah but.

Sunderland make one change to their starting XI after the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal. It’s an attacking one: Nilson Angulo comes in for Chemsdine Talbi, who drops to the bench. Captain and all-round influencer Granit Xhaka is still missing.

Liverpool make two changes to their starting line-up in the wake of their 2-1 loss to Manchester City. One is enforced: Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended so Wataru Endo takes his place as stand-in right-back. Meanwhile in the other full-back position, Andy Robertson comes in for Milos Kerkez, who is benched.