Liverpool put in an impressive away performance to become the first team to win at Sunderland in the Premier League this season.

Virgil van Dijk’s second-half header secured all three points for the visitors, who dominated large parts of the match at the Stadium of Light.

The Liverpool captain nodded on a corner from Mohamed Salah just after the hour mark – and Sunderland’s Habib Diarra, who was on the goalline, could only help the ball into the back of the net.

Liverpool were impressive in the first half and dominated the ball – with Arne Slot’s side having 68% of the possession.

Having initially struggled to find a way through Sunderland’s solid defence, it was Florian Wirtz who came closest to breaking the deadlock.

On the half-hour mark, the German’s right-footed strike from outside the box was well saved by Robin Roefs who parried it out for a corner.

Minutes later, Wirtz struck the post with a left-footed effort from inside the area before having a header saved by Roefs.

Liverpool cranked up the pressure although Sunderland did well to ensure the match was still goalless at half-time. Regis Le Bris’ side only had five touches in the visitors’ box in the first half.

The hosts improved after the break, with skipper Trai Hume firing over, but it was the visitors who took a deserved lead when Van Dijk scored his fourth goal of the season.

Liverpool held on for an important win, but their evening was slightly marred by a worrying injury to Wataru Endo, who was filling in at right-back because of Dominik Szoboszlai’s suspension.

The Japan international made his first league start of the season and was defensively solid, winning the most duels (seven) of any player in the match before he fell awkwardly on his ankle shortly after Liverpool took the lead.

Endo was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Joe Gomez – who has only just returned from injury. After the game Slot said of Endo: “We have to wait and see, but we expect not to have him for quite a long time.”

Victory for Liverpool – only their second in the league in 2026 – helped them cut the gap to fifth-placed Chelsea to two points, while Sunderland are 11th.