bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Liverpool's fresh signing from Chelsea, Daniel Sturridge, was in the stands to watch his new teammates get the New Year off to a winning start by defeating Sunderland 3-0 at Anfield to move up to eighth place in the Premier League.
First-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez put Brendan Rodgers' men firmly in the driving seat and Suarez added a third in the second half to seal a comfortable win.
For Sunderland, it was a second straight defeat and it saw the Black Cats stay just four points above the drop zone.
Liverpool coach Rodgers was back in the dug-out after missing the QPR game on Sunday because of illness and he brought in Andre Wisdom at left-back in place of the injured Jose Enrique, with Lucas Leiva taking over from Joe Allen in midfield.
Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill made one change to the side who lost to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, with the injured John O'Shea replaced by Danny Rose in defence.
Rodgers said he was excited about adding Sturridge to his squad.
"I have known Daniel since he was 12 at Coventry and then coming through the ranks at Man City. He can score, he has pace and power," said Rodgers.
"He is also hungry and what we need at Liverpool is players hungry to do well. He recognises this might be his chance at a big club and he has to produce. I am looking forward to working with him."
Sturridge, who will wear the number 15 shirt for the Anfield club, is Liverpool's first signing of the January transfer window and is reported to have cost the club around £12 million (HK$150 million).
He made his England debut against Sweden in November 2011 and has since made three more international appearances.
Against Sunderland, Liverpool were immediately on the defensive after a lively start from the visitors.
But it was Liverpool who came closest to scoring in the early stages, as Stewart Downing tested Simon Mignolet with a smartly hit drive to the Sunderland goalkeeper's near post after 12 minutes.
Seven minutes later, though, Mignolet was beaten as his goal-kick was collected by Suarez and he hooked the ball over his shoulder, allowing 18-year-old Sterling to break clear and lob over the advancing goalkeeper.
Seven minutes later and it was Suarez who made it 2-0, pouncing on a stumble by Carlos Cuellar to dart through the inside-right channel and fire a crisp shot past Mignolet.
It was the Uruguayan's 17th goal of the season in all competitions.
Sunderland enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, with Sebastian Larsson and Matthew Kilgallon having shots blocked, but Liverpool, with Suarez leading the way, were still looking the more dangerous side on the break as they reached half-time with a deserved 2-0 lead.
Liverpool piled on the pressure early in the second half and it was Suarez who effectively killed off the contest after 52 minutes when he again proved too quick for Sunderland's central defenders, collecting a long through ball from Steven Gerrard to fire in from eight yards.
Joe Allen thought he had scored his first goal for Liverpool after 84 minutes, but his effort was disallowed as Downing was adjudged to have been offside when he made his cut-back.


Liverpool cruise as new boy Sturridge looks on

Daniel Sturridge

Sport

Football

The former Chelsea player watches from the stands at Anfield as a Suarez double helps the Reds to a 3-0 win over struggling Sunderland
