Liverpool moved to within four points of the Champions League places with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.

Lazar Markovic got his first Premier League goal to give the visitors all three points, poking home from close range after less than 10 minutes.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at who impressed during the early kickoff.

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SUNDERLAND

Goal

Costel Pantilimon: May feel that he could have done better with the goal, which crept under him and in. However, it was from close range so the blame is very much limited. (5/10)

Defence

Santiago Vergini: Never really got hold of Coutinho and struggled to keep the Brazilian quiet throughout. A difficult afternoon for the defender. (5/10)

Wes Brown: Was very fortunate not to concede a penalty inside three minutes, but improved from then on and had a solid game overall. (6/10)

John O'Shea: Perhaps the most consistent performer in the Sunderland defence, and put in another decent showing today. (6/10)

Patrick van Aanholt: Failed to subdue Markovic in the first half and, while Can did not pose as much of a threat in the second, the damage had already been done. (5/10)

Midfield

Liam Bridcutt: Did not have much of an impact on the game before seeing red for two clumsy challenges. Perhaps unfortunate to get a yellow for both. (5/10)

Adam Johnson: Rattled the crossbar with a fabulous swerving effort in the second half. Did not have much of an impact apart from that, however. (6/10)

Sebastian Larsson: Virtually anonymous throughout. Failed to have any influence on the game as Liverpool controlled it for long spells. (5/10)

Jordi Gomez: Also had very little impact in an attacking sense. Failed to get up in support of the striker, which is a big part of the reason Sunderland rarely threatened. (5/10)

Emanuele Giaccherini: Did not give Van Aanholt enough cover against Markovic in the first half and did not offer much in the attacking third either. (5/10)

Attack

Connor Wickham: Barely had a kick during his time on the field. Service to him was very limited and he was isolated for long periods before being replaced in the 77th minute. (5/10)

Substitutes

Danny Graham: Came on for Wickham and had a similar lack of influence on the game as the man he replaced. (6/10)

Will Buckley: Introduced at the same time as Graham, but failed to turn the game in Sunderland's favour. (6/10)

Mikael Mandron: Surprisingly replaced Johnson in the final five minutes as Sunderland chased an equaliser. Had one sight of goal, but could not make the most of it. (6/10)

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LIVERPOOL

Goal

Simon Mignolet: Was rarely tested against his former club, but came to claim a couple of crosses well and kept a clean sheet that should do wonders for his confidence. (7/10)

Defence

Emre Can: Very comfortable at the back in the first half and proved his versatility by moving into a wing-back role for the second. (7/10)

Martin Skrtel: Did not give Wickham a kick throughout. A commanding presence in the middle of the back three. (7/10)

Mamadou Sakho: Helped the visitors to the clean sheet, but was barely tested by a toothless Sunderland attack. A comfortable afternoon's work. (7/10)

Midfield

Lazar Markovic: Got the only goal of the game and was a threat throughout, particularly in the first half. Also hit the woodwork with a fine effort and should have had a penalty in the opening minutes. (8/10)

Jordan Henderson: Not too heavily involved against his former club, but went about his business quietly and effectively. (7/10)

Lucas Leiva: Did a good job of protecting his defence, helping them to have a relatively comfortable match. (7/10)

Steven Gerrard: Forced off at half time with an injury, but had enjoyed a decent display up until the point, getting forward more than usual and threatening to continue his recent good goalscoring form. (7/10)

Philippe Coutinho: The creative spark for the visitors. Always looked the most likely to unlock the defence and managed it a few times in the first half. (7/10)

Alberto Moreno: Not as involved as Markovic and later Can on the opposite flank, but still provided a good outlet for his side. (7/10)

Attack

Fabio Borini: Decent movement against the side that he almost joined in the summer, but did not do enough to threaten Pantilimon's goal. (7/10)

Substitutes

Dejan Lovren: Replaced Gerrard at half time and helped his side to a clean sheet. (7/10)

Mario Balotelli: Had a little over 20 minutes, but could not break his Premier League duck despite a couple of speculative efforts. (6/10)