Liverpool vs. Sunderland: Live Player Ratings for the Reds

Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge found the back of the net for Liverpool, but Ki Sung-Yeung’s late goal from a corner pulled Sunderland back into the contest and made for a nervy finish at Anfield.

Still, the hosts were able to see out the match, and with the 2-1 win they leapfrogged Manchester City and reclaimed second place in the Premier League.

Following are player ratings and analysis for all the Reds.

Player	Half-Time	Full-Time
Mignolet	8	8
Johnson	8	7
Skrtel	8	8
Agger	8	8
Flanagan	8	7
Henderson	9	9
Gerrard	9	8
Allen	8	7
Coutinho	7	8
Sturridge	7	8
Suarez	7	9
Sterling	N/A	7

Half-Time analysis for Liverpool

Mignolet: Made an important save off Wickham late in the first half.

Johnson: Involved in the buildup play and hardly being tested by Dossena.

Skrtel: Has so far won all of his aerial duels.

Agger: The Dane has completed 96% of his passes out of defense through 45 minutes.

Flanagan: Whatever counter-attacks Sunderland have mustered have typically come opposite him.

Henderson: The Liverpool metronome has already touched the ball 52 times, completing 96% of his passes.

Gerrard: Curled his free kick into the top, right-hand corner of the goal.

Allen: Highly involved and keen to bring the ball into the attacking third.

Coutinho: Distribution could be a bit better, but his commitment can’t be questioned.

Sturridge: Only 17 touches in an uncharacteristically quiet first half.

Suarez: Dropping quite deep to involve himself in the buildup play.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Full-Time analysis for Liverpool

Mignolet: Did well to deny Wickham in the first half and had little chance on Ki’s header.

Johnson: Was absolutely run into the ground by Adam Johnson when the Sunderland substitute swapped flanks.

Skrtel: Finished the night with all of his aerial battles won.

Agger: Handled the late pressure well.

Flanagan: Lost Ki on the set-piece that gave Sunderland some late hope.

Henderson: At the final whistle he had touched the ball 100 times and completed 93% of his passes.

Gerrard: Struggled a bit late on, but took his goal well and was dominant in the air.

Allen: Not quite as effective on the defensive side of the ball, but his rate of distribution only improved as the match wore on.

Coutinho: Four shots and four tackles in an impressive, all-round performance.

Sturridge: Cut inside his marker to beat Mannone to the far corner.

Suarez: Worked extremely hard and was perhaps unlucky to not find the back of the net.

Sterling: Liverpool’s only substitute found himself on the back-foot during his 13-minute cameo.