JAKARTA - Liverpool maintained the competition with Manchester United and Chelsea after defeating Sunderland 1-0 in an English Premier League match at the Stadium of Light, Thursday, February 12, 2026 WIB. Captain Virgil van Dijk scored the only goal in the match.
Liverpool had to work hard to stop Sunderland's unbeaten record of 12 home games. A pretty impressive record for a mediocre team. Only Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City escaped defeat with a draw when visiting Sunderland's home.
However, Liverpool managed to overcome the pressure and score a victory at home to The Black Cats. A victory that is very meaningful because this is the second time in the last eight matches from Arne Slot's team.
Not only that, Liverpool at least maintains the competition with Man Utd and Chelsea who lost points after drawing in the previous match. Man Utd who drew 1-1 against West Ham United still survive in the Champions League zone by ranking fourth after having 45 points.
Meanwhile, Chelsea were held by Leeds United with a score of 2-2. The team coached by Liam Rosenior is in fifth place with 44 points. Champion Liverpool, who are in sixth place, managed to cut the points gap with their two competitors because they now have 42 points.
Sunderland themselves are still hanging on in the middle of the table. They are in 11th place after collecting 36 points. The same as Newcastle United, but Regis Le Bris' team still lost by a goal difference.
Slot himself showed satisfaction after winning the away game. Moreover, previously The Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat when hosting Man City in a big match at Anfield. However, Slot assessed that Liverpool should have scored more goals in the match.
"If you create so many chances, you should score more goals," Slot said, quoted by france24.
"But this time this victory is enough. We also defended very well in all parts of the game," said Slot, who admitted that he was in a critical position if he failed to qualify Liverpool for the Champions League next season.
In that match, Liverpool really had trouble dealing with Sunderland who played with high spirits. Midfielder Florian Wirtz actually created a moment that opened up Liverpool's chances to score.
It's just that Wirtz's long-range shot can still be saved by goalkeeper Robin Roefs. The German national team midfielder also got another chance. But his shot still hit the crossbar.
Sunderland also put up a fight by pressing the Pool's defense. They even asked for a penalty when defender Ibrahima Konare brought down Brian Brobbey in the penalty box. However, the referee judged that there was no foul from the incident. The 0-0 draw score lasted until the first half ended.
Entering the second half, Liverpool continued to play offensively. A good opportunity was obtained by Mohamed Salah who fired into the goal. Only, his effort was blocked by defender Reinildo Mandava.
After many failed attempts, Liverpool finally broke the deadlock when Van Dijk broke into Sunderland's goal in the 61st minute. The header of the Dutch national team center back who greeted Salah's corner kick hit midfielder Habib Diarra, sending the ball into his own goal.
1-0 ahead, Liverpool was more aggressive. But their efforts to add a goal did not bear fruit. Likewise, Sunderland was unable to score a goal. The score remained until the end of the match.
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