Sunderland make the trip to Premier League high-flyers Liverpool on Saturday looking to achieve something they haven’t for two-and-a-half-years – three successive league wins.
Another dreadful start to the season saw the Black Cats take just two points from their opening ten top-flight matches this term, but consecutive victories against Bournemouth and Hull mean that the Wearside outfit are now just three points from safety in the standings.
The last time they won three on the bounce was in May 2014, when they took 13 points from the last 18 available to pull of another great escape and secure a 14th-placed finish.
While David Moyes’ side are battling at the bottom end of the table, Jurgen Klopp’s men are firmly in the title race and lie just one point behind Chelsea at the summit. Although they are the top goalscorers in the Premier League, the Reds were held to a goalless draw at Southampton last weekend, so there are weaknesses to exploit, it seems.
Here are THREE reasons Sunderland will cause an upset against Liverpool at Anfield…
Form
As we mentioned in the intro, things are suddenly looking up for Sunderland and their supporters following successive wins against Bournemouth and Hull, and both triumphs were impressive in their own way.
Despite losing Steven Pienaar to a red card with the score at 1-1 against the Cherries, Jermain Defoe scored the winner from the penalty spot.
Defoe then netted his 150th Premier League goal and Victor Anichebe added a brace as Moyes’ men completed a comprehensive victory against the Tigers.
Anichebe and Defoe
In Anichebe and Defoe, Sunderland have a strike duo that are in fine form.
Anichebe made his first league start for the Black Cats in the win at Bournemouth and his presence seems to have changed the dynamic of this Sunderland side.
As well as relieving some of the goalscoring pressure from the prolific Defoe – Anichebe has scored three goals in the two wins, with the 34-year-old netting the other two – the budding partnership between the two could already be the difference between the club staying up or going down.
Liverpool’s defence
While on paper this would seem to be a home banker, you always get the feeling that the Liverpool defence is there to be attacked, and Sunderland will have to do that if they are to take a positive result from Anfield.
The Reds’ goalless draw at Southampton last weekend was only their second clean sheet in the league this term, and the Mackems will certainly take some confidence from the fact that they came from 2-0 down to secure a late 2-2 draw in the same fixture back in February.
