Premier League: High-Flying Wearsiders Head to Merseyside With Pressure Off

Liverpool vs Sunderland

So, I hold my hands up: I thought Sunderland’s Premier League bubble had burst when they trailed at home to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. 

Why wouldn’t I?? After all, the Wearsiders, like so many teams promoted via the Championship play-offs before them, were pre-season favourites for the drop.

What has followed has not only stunned me but deserves enormous respect.

In fact, if you’d have said they would travel to the pre-season red-hot title favourites Liverpool in December ahead of them in the table, you’d have probably been laughed at. No one is underestimating them now.

 

Talking Points

In fact, it is impossible not to admire the work of manager Régis Le Bris.

A victory at Chelsea and a stirring comeback to earn a point at home to leaders Arsenal are among their recent Premier League 2025 highlights, and that is some going.

Sure, survival is still the main aim of the game, but to have 22 points from their opening 13 games is well on the way to achieving that.

Their latest comeback was, arguably, as good as any that have preceded it and was the very first time they have won a Premier League game after being two goals behind.

Against the Cherries, an Enzo Le Fee penalty and Bertrand Traore’s low strike put Sunderland level before substitute Brian Brobbey headed in a Le Fee corner to complete the Black Cats’ turnaround – one that seemed unlikely when they were behind and being outplayed within 15 minutes.

To put into context, Sunderland’s home record is so strong they have already collected more points at Stadium of Light (15) than they did in the whole of their last campaign in the top flight (14 points in 2016-17).

Le Bris was quick to hail the character of his team after the game.

By contrast, it is the character of their hosts on Wednesday night that has been called into question of late.

Three defeats on the spin have certainly darkened the mood around Anfield.

Indeed it’s fair to say two home defeats on the bounce, including one in the league against an impressive Nottingham Forest who scored three without reply, have significantly damaged Liverpool’s title defence.

That has led to pundits asking serious question marks about two men considered their mainstays over the past eight years or so – captain Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

The beleaguered hosts have a squad jam-packed with costly players expected to perform much better. So the relief must have been clear for all to see on Sunday when they won 2-0 at West Ham and saw Alexander Isak netted his first league goal for his new club with a trademark finish.

Still, all the pressure will be on the hosts when Sunderland travel to Merseyside in midweek with nothing to lose.

 

History

It says much for their proud history that Sunderland have defeated Liverpool on 52 occasions. The Merseysiders have 79 wins to their name, with 39 draws.

You have to go back to March 2012 for the last time the Wearsiders won a contest.

That was a game when the sides were managed by Martin O’Neill and Kenny Dalglish respectively, and Nicklas Bendtner netted the only goal. Since then, there have been 10 clashes, featuring six Liverpool wins and four draws.

1983 was the last time they won at Anfield, a 1-0 Division One success.

It was January 2017 when they last met, a New Year game at the Stadium of Light when Jermain Defoe scored two penalties to twice bring Sunderland back on level terms and secure a 2-2 draw after goals from Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane.

Their first clash was in 1894 at Newcastle Road, Sunderland, the contest in which the hosts won 3-2.

The last meeting on Merseyside in November 2016 resulted in a 2-0 home win with goals from Divock Origi and James Milner (penalty).

 

Betting Tip

It is no wonder the SBOTOP Premier League 2025 betting odds are so contrasting, given this is a meeting between last season’s number one and the side that gained promotion via the Championship play-offs.

Liverpool are priced 1X2 @ 1.32 and Asian Handicap -1.25 @ 1.80.

Sunderland are on offer 1X2 @ 7.30 and Asian Handicap +1.25 @ 2.11.

The draw is an attractive option @ 4.75, and there’s a very tempting offer with a repeat of their last meeting, almost nine years ago, paying out @ 21.00 with Correct Score 2-2. For goals, how about Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.13, 4-6 @ 2.69, and Over 3.00 @ 1.91?

   

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