Sunderland vs Liverpool live: Latest score and updates after Jermain Defoe's penalty equaliser
A look ahead to the Premier League fixture at the Stadium of Light
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool can close the gap on league leaders Chelsea with victory over struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Jurgen Klopp’s side appear to be the main challengers to Antonio Conte’s west London juggernaut and can go to within six points of the pacesetters on Monday.
Sunderland were woeful in their 4-1 defeat to Burnley on Saturday and increasingly seem doomed to life in the Championship next season.
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It’s a big game for…
Simon Mignolet: The Liverpool shot-stopper has been the subject of some criticism this season and will hope to silence his critics when he returns to the Stadium of Light.
Despite letting that Jon Walters header beat him at his near post against Stoke, the Belgian kept a clean sheet in the big match against Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.
Best stat…
9: Liverpool are unbeaten against Sunderland in nine games with the last time the Black Cats coming out on top being a 1-0 win in 2012.
Remember when…
Darren Bent scored the winner in a 1-0 win against Liverpool after getting a big hand by a very unusual object – a beachball.
The ball was thrown on to the pitch by a fan and diverted Bent’s shot past the helpless Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal.
Prediction
Player to watch…
Adam Lallana: The attacking-midfielder looks invigorated this season, after taking him some while to settle on Merseyside.
Lallana is Liverpool’s second top goalscorer in the league this season, bagging seven goals but he’s also managed to rack up seven assists too, making him a pivotal member of this Liverpool side. Sunderland will have to prioritise keeping him quite to try to quell the visitors’ attacks.
Past three meetings…
Liverpool 2 (Origi, Milner) Sunderland 0
Premier League, November 2016
Liverpool 2 (Firmino, Lallana) Sunderland 2 (Johnson, Defoe)
Premier League, February 2016
Sunderland 0 Liverpool 1 (Benteke)
Premier League, December 2015
Form guide…
Sunderland: WLLWLL
Liverpool: LDWWWW
Vital information…
Kick-off time: 15:00
TV: Highlights on Match of the Day, BBC One, Monday 2 January 10.30pm
Odds…
Sunderland to win: 9/1
Liverpool to win: 7/20
Draw: 9/2
45 mins: Leicester City mark the display of two minutes stoppage time with some neat one-touch passing that takes them from right to left across the park. Of course as soon as there's any danger of it transforming into an attacking move, it falls apart at the seams.
Ben Gibson, meanwhile, has been cautioned for a cynical tug on Mahrez's shirt in midfield.
HALF-TIME - MIDDLESBROUGH 0 LEICESTER 0:
Everybody told me that there was no way 2017 could be as bad as its predecessor, but so far I've had to sit through an awful episode of Sherlock and 45 minutes of this.
SECOND HALF KICK-OFF: Leicester City kick-off and here we go again! Let's hope for something - anything - better in this second period.
48 mins: Middlesbrough's Plan A remains get the ball to Traore at every opportunity. Leicester's tactic continues to be block Traore's route down the right. They both carry out their instructions to the letter and it brings the first corner of the second half, one that the visitors comfortably clear.
52 mins: Wes Morgan has kept a watchful eye on Alvaro Negredo throughout, but the Leicester captain momentarily lost sight of the striker when Gaston Ramirez chipped an elegant centre in the direction of the Spaniard. Kasper Schmeichel wasn't so slack, however, and was quickly off his line to claim the dropping cross before Negredo could pounce.
55 mins: A terrific low cross from Andy King on the right cuts Middlesbrough's defence and and goalkeeper in two. Any touch would have forced the ball into the net, but the delivery just evaded Shinji Okazaki at the near post and Calum Chambers was aware of his surroundings enough to allow the centre to run on without intervention.
60 mins: Two thirds of the way through this hard slog now. I can see the finishing line.
62 mins: And now it's Middlesbrough's turn to fire a teasing ball across the six-yard box! From the left, George Friend delivered, but with Wes Morgan and Robert Huth caught in two minds, Alvaro Negredo failed to react and the opportunity passed him by. Literally.
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