Sunderland vs. Liverpool: Gus Poyet and Brendan Rodgers Post-Match Reaction

Brendan Rodgers was satisfied with Liverpool's performance in their 1-0 win over Sunderland, hailing his team's concentration for the full 90 minutes, via the Daily Mirror's Jim Boardman:

Lazar Markovic scored early to give the visitors a one-goal lead and nearly scored the goal of the season with an acrobatic volley from long range to double his tally. Liverpool failed to add a second goal in the first half and ran into a little trouble in the second, but the Reds held on and deservedly grabbed the three points.

The result means the Reds are now unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions.

Rodgers conceded his squad should have been up by more than one goal at half-time, per Anfield Online:

Steven Gerrard surprisingly didn't come out to start the second half, with fans and pundits wondering whether the team captain had suffered an injury. According to Rodgers, his substitution was just a precaution, similar to the absence of Raheem Sterling, as shared by the Daily Mirror's Simon Bird:

With Gerrard leaving the club for LA Galaxy next season, reporters wanted to know who the manager was eyeing as the new captain. When asked about Jordan Henderson, Rodgers said he won't make any decision public until the end of the season, per FourFourTwo's Harry De Cosemo:

The Northern Irishman also confirmed the January transfer window will see little business around Anfield after the busy summer the Reds had, via Boardman:

According to Rodgers, the future looks bright for his young squad, with several key contributors returning from injury, as shared by De Cosemo:

Sunderland's Gus Poyet was disappointed with the result, as his squad put together a poor showing and actually started to play better once Liam Bridcutt was dismissed early in the second half. The Uruguayan told fans to be realistic in their expectations, however, via Bird:

Whether his comments were meant as a shot at the fans, who were vocal in their disapproval during the match at times, or the club board, who have not given the manager much to work with was unclear.

Poyet refused to make excuses, acknowledging his side just weren't good enough on Saturday, per De Cosemo:

He's also not happy with the limited impact he's had on the squad so far:

Like his Liverpool colleague, Poyet isn't expecting much action during the January window, as shared by ITV Football:

The Black Cats are now winless in their last four and dropping down the Premier League standings in a hurry, sitting just three points above the relegation zone. Poyet will need to turn things around in a hurry, or his job could be on the line very soon.

A trip to White Hart Lane to take on Tottenham Hotspur is perhaps the last thing Sunderland needs right now, but a solid showing in Week 22 would give the squad some much-needed momentum.

Liverpool aren't winning pretty, but after Saturday's result, they've now won three of their last four. The race for the European tickets is wide open, and for the first time this season, Rodgers' squad looks like they might actually have a good chance to book a spot in the Europa League.

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