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
We head straight to the London Stadium for the final Premier League match of this evening. It's West Ham United versus Manchester United and this is how the two sides line up...
West Ham: Randolph, Obiang, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Nordtveit, Antonio, Feghouli, Payet, Lanzini
Subs: Adrian, Carroll, Noble, Ayew, Fletcher, Fernandes, Quina
Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Darmian, Herrera, Carrick, Pogba, Lingard, Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan
Subs: Romero, Mata, Martial, Smalling, Young, Rashford, Fellaini
Referee: Mike Dean
And here come the two teams...and there goes the bubble machine, funded by the tax payer.
KICK-OFF: West Ham get us going as Forever Blowing Bubbles rings around their famous old ground sorry excuse for a football stadium. After Liverpool dropped unexpected points earlier, Manchester United ears will have pricked up at this opportunity to close the gap on their rivals as they look to continue the manner in which they have put their season back on track.
4 mins: A slow start on the pitch prompts Jose Mourinho to make his way to the touchline where he kneels down and surveys the action from ground level. Satisfied with what he's observed, he turns back and begins the 15-minute walk back to his seat in the dugout.
7 mins: Dimitri Payet has shown real intent in these opening minutes. After flashing one long range effort well wide, the Frenchman is in attacking mood once again. Receiving Sofiane Feghouli's pass, Payet skips inside but his strike is blocked at close quarters and spins in the hands of David de Gea.
10 mins: West Ham go at United again. This time Payet opts to pass, fooling two United defenders with an brilliantly disguised pass. It leaves Manuel Lanzini in inviting space outside the penalty area for the Argentine to shoot, his curling effort pushed away by a full length De Gea. It's been a decent start by the hosts.
14 mins: RED CARD! WEST HAM 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 0:
A Mike Dean moment! The box office man in black has sent off Sofiane Feghouli for a challenge on Phil Jones, and the overwhelming consensus is that it's a harsh one. The Algerian, hoping to make the most of a rare West Ham start, overran the ball while on the attack, and, in his attempt to retrieve possession, dived in with the Manchester United defender. Jones came off worse, writhing in agony, but there seemed little difference in the two tackles. However, after taking a moment to consider his options, Dean produced the red card to a stunned Feghouli and an incandescent London Stadium.
17 mins: The home supporters are seething with anger following that red card, and if they weren't then they sure as hell are now. As Cheikhou Kouyate looked to escape down the right touchline, he was caught by a crude sliding tackle from Jesse Lingard. The Hammers are demanding a similar punishment to the one handed out to their forward minutes earlier, but Dean incenses them further by not even producing a yellow.
Let's hope this doesn't mean Sofiane Feghouli doesn't spend the rest of his days living in a caravan.
24 mins: That red card has completely taken the sting out what promised to be a thrilling contest in the opening minutes. United are completely bossing possession as you'd expect with a man advantage and West Ham have retreated to a simple containing game. At this rate, this could end up following in the footsteps of that Middlesbrough v Leicester snoozefest from this afternoon.
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