Liverpool may be third favourites in a three-horse race to lift the Premier League title but they continue to get results like they neither know nor care.
Struggling Sunderland were a hurdle they were expected to clear comfortably but the 2-1 scoreline showed it was not a trademark performance of fluidity and control.
Steven Gerrard’s 20-yard free-kick broke their opponents’ resistance late in the first half.
Three minutes after half-time Daniel Sturridge then collected the ball on the right side, switched it on to his left foot and struck a shot which caught enough of Wes Brown to help it loop over Vito Mannone.
In scoring his 20th league goal of the campaign, moving to within eight of team-mate Luis Suarez, Sturridge ensured he and his strike partner achieved a feat not seen in these parts for 50 years since Ian St John and Roger Hunt achieved it.
Lee Cattermole hit the crossbar for the visitors – a feat subsequently matched by Sturridge – before substitute Ki converted a corner and, despite exerting some late pressure which saw John O’Shea miss a header from six yards, Sunderland remain three points from safety.
A banner in the Kop before kick-off read ‘Anything is possible if you believe’ and by the end the stadium was reverberating to chants of ‘We’re going to win the league’.
There is still plenty of ground to cover before their 24-year wait becomes a reality and the visits of Chelsea and Manchester City take on greater significance with every passing day.
But a seventh successive victory moved them back into second place in the table, just a point behind the Stamford Bridge club, and two ahead of City.
Elsewhere, West Ham were jeered off by some supporters despite ending a three-game losing streak against 10-man Hull – although they made hard work of seeing off the Tigers 2-1 at Upton Park.
Visiting goalkeeper Allan McGregor was shown a straight red card after charging into Mo Diame, with Mark Noble dispatching the resulting penalty to set Sam Allardyce’s side on course for their first Premier League win since February 22.
But Steve Bruce’s Hull did not lie down without a fight and made a good first of getting something out of the game, with Nikica Jelavic scoring his fourth goal for the club before a James Chester own goal to gift the Hammers a much-needed three points.
