While Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Sunderland may paint this out to be a less-than-comfortable night on paper, truth be told, this did feel like one of the more routine sets of three points that Arne Slot’s side have won this term.
That’s impressive when you factor in how good Regis Le Bris’ side have fared at home since winning promotion back to the big time.
Indeed, this was the first time in the Premier League this season that the Black Cats had tasted defeat on their own patch.
Judging by that, Slot could probably think of very few grounds he’d rather visit after that demoralising late defeat to Manchester City last Sunday.
Yet, the man of the hour; the man of the moment, Virgil Van Dijk, came to Liverpool’s rescue. His second-half header ensured that the Merseysiders made their whopping 68% possession count for something.
Despite the win, this wasn’t a night that lacked positives. Most games this season seem to have been engulfed by them.
The biggest positives for Liverpool after Sunderland
Van Dijk has come up with plenty of massive moments since arriving at Anfield and this was yet another huge one for the Reds who capitalised on their rivals dropping points.
Slot’s men have no chance of retaining the title but have put themselves in a far better place to qualify for the Champions League this week. While Chelsea and Manchester United dropped points, Liverpool won at a tough ground.
The skipper will deservedly get the plaudits, but his colleague at the back, Ibrahima Konate, certainly deserves praise too.
Earlier in the season, it looked as though the defender would be leaving Merseyside with a whimper. Not only is Konate out of contract in the summer but his displays were hardly that of a top-level centre-back. Referring to a series of mistakes earlier in the term, Slot revealed his frustration, simply saying that the Frenchman had been “at the crime scene” a little bit too often.
Well, he arguably delivered his finest display of the season against Sunderland, completing 88% of his passes and winning all three of his ground duels.
Another positive for Liverpool was the display of the ever-improving Florian Wirtz. The German didn’t register a goal involvement on Wednesday but he created two chances and took five shots. On his day, the German is simply euphoric to watch.
That being said, the victory over the Mackems did provide some issues.
The biggest negatives for Liverpool
On a rather happy evening for Slot and Co, there were a few things that went wrong, chiefly the injury to Wataro Endo.
This was the first time the Japanese had started all season. A midfielder by trade, Endo was forced to play in an unfamiliar position at right-back due to a number of players being unavailable.
Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley are both currently out injured while Dominik Szoboszlai, who played at right back in the dying stages of the defeat to City, was also absent due to a three-game suspension.
Yet despite all of that, Slot has still ignored young Calvin Ramsay, who can’t seem to get a single jot of first-team football right now.
Ramsay signed from Aberdeen back in 2022 for a fee of £4.2m as an 18-year-old but hasn’t lived up to the hype attached to his name.
We sit here four years on with the Scot struggling for game time following loan spells with Preston, Bolton, Wigan and Kilmarnock back in Scotland.
Since arriving from the Scottish Premiership, the 22-year-old has not played a single minute of football in the Premier League. In fact, he’s only ever played three games for the senior side.
|
Ramsay since signing for Liverpool |
|
|---|---|
|
Club |
Games |
|
Liverpool U21s |
16 |
|
Wigan Athletic |
12 |
|
Kilmarnock |
8 |
|
Bolton Wanderers |
4 |
|
Liverpool |
3 |
|
Preston North End |
2 |
This season represented Ramsay’s opportunity. Frimpong has struggled for fitness right throughout his debut campaign at Anfield but even with the Dutchman and Bradley on the sidelines, he’s not earned any football.
The simple fact of the matter is that Slot doesn’t rate him. He’s made that abundantly clear with recent comments. Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s win at Sunderland, he made a bizarre comment.
The Dutchman revealed that Ramsay wouldn’t start, adding: “If you don’t win a game, the players not playing become the best players in the squad.”
Lo and behold, Endo started ahead of Ramsay at the Stadium of Light. Even when the Japanese sustained his injury, the former Aberdeen full-back was not called upon. Joe Gomez was subbed on instead.
All of that likely means that the right-back likely won’t be seen again in Liverpool colours, even if he did appear among the substitutes on Wednesday evening.
When it comes to some players, Slot has been rather strange. A certain Harvey Elliott – albeit he does possess more quality than Ramsay – was rather alienated from first-team football last season – while another talented young footballer in the shape of Curtis Jones is now being ignored in a similar light.
The English midfielder hasn’t started a Premier League clash since the 1-1 draw with Burnley on 17th January.
While Jones has time and, importantly, more ability on his side, the future looks bleaker for Ramsay, who simply looks done in a Liverpool shirt now. Don’t expect Slot to call upon him even with Endo’s injury.
Better than Wirtz: Liverpool star had his best game all season vs Sunderland
Liverpool got themselves back on track in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Sunderland.
