Robin Roefs shines again, Brian Brobbey outplayed – Sunderland player ratings vs Liverpool
Sunderland’s unbeaten home record finally fell with a 1-0 loss against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Sunderland began the game brightly as they sought to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat to league leaders Arsenal on Saturday.
But the visitors weathered the Mackems storm at the Stadium of Light and nearly took the lead through Florian Wirtz’s long-range strike.
Goalkeeper Robin Roefs was equal to that fizzing effort, but he could only watch on as Wirtz’s shot bounced off the outside of the post just after the half-hour mark.
The pressure finally told when Virgil van Dijk’s header had too much power for Habib Diarra to keep off the goalline in the 60th minute. After seven wins and five draws, it proved to be unlucky number 13 at home for Sunderland.
- Read more: Sunderland want to sign Yacine Titraoui, but Leeds United might have something to say about that
Robin Roefs is the gift that keeps on giving
Not too much was known about Roefs when he swapped Dutch side NEC Nijmegen for Sunderland last summer for £11.5million.
But he quickly became a Sunderland fan favourite, with the 23-year-old keeping eight clean sheets in 25 Premier League games.
The Netherlands Under-21 international is, arguably, one of the signings of the season, with Roefs having the second-best save percentage (73.1) in the league behind Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez.
And Sunderland were indebted to him again against Liverpool as without him, it would have been a more one-sided result.
But it wasn’t enough for Regis Le Bris’ side, who only really gave Liverpool a game in the second half.
Brian Brobbey endures frustrating night against Liverpool
When physical striker Brian Brobbey left Ajax for Sunderland, much was expected of the £21.6m signing.
But the two-time winner of the Eredivisie took a while to settle in at Sunderland, with the forward appearing to struggle with the pace of the league.
However, the 23-year-old, who signed on a deal until 2030, has since found his feet and has five goals to his name this season.
But he found it tough going against the giants of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, although it is fair to say he didn’t get many refereeing calls on the night.
This may just be a case of resetting away to Oxford United in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday afternoon.
Sunderland player ratings vs Liverpool
Robin Roefs – 7
Nordi Mukiele – 6
Daniel Ballard – 6
Omar Alderete – 5
Reinildo – 6
Noah Sadiki – 6
Enzo Le Fee – 5
Trai Hume – 5
Habib Diarra – 6
Nilson Angulo – 7
Brian Brobbey – 5
Substitutes:
Chemsdine Talbi – 5
Lutsharel Geertruida – 5
Romaine Mundle – 5
Wilson Isidor – 5
To stay up to date on the latest Sunderland news, head to Football Insider for all you need to know