Sunderland 0 Liverpool 2

They say what goes around comes around, and that old adage certainly rang true at the Stadium of Light.

Last season Sunderland famously needed a beach-ball to beat Liverpool, and on this occasion the visitors benefited from a spot of karma that enabled Dirk Kuyt to strike the game's crucial blow from the penalty spot, before Luis Suarez sealed victory in brilliant fashion.

Some 18 months after Darren Bent's winner was incorrectly allowed to stand, as he scored with the help of an inflatable discarded by a Liverpool fan, the wheel of fortune turned full circle on Wearside with another miscarriage of justice.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish paired £57 million worth of strikers in Suarez and Andy Carroll - together for the first time, and his team were the first to threaten a goal.

Carroll - booed thanks to his Newcastle past - almost made an instant impact when he nodded down Raul Meireles' corner to fellow forward Kuyt, but his shot was scrambled wide.

It took a while for Sunderland to build up momentum but they give a packed house something to shout about when Asamoah Gyan narrowly failed to apply a finishing touch to a Kieran Richardson cross.

Liverpool were starting to impose themselves, however, and they took the lead in highly contentious circumstances when referee Kevin Friend awarded a penalty for John Mensah's cynical foul on Jay Spearing - committed after the Ghanaian lost possession of the ball - even though he made contact outside the box.

Friend initially awarded a free-kick but was then over-ruled by his assistant, Billy Smallwood. Kuyt slotted home his spot-kick one way as Simon Mignolet dived in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce fumed in his technical area after being informed by goalkeeping coach Nigel Spink that an error had been made.

Sunderland had only beaten Liverpool twice in their previous 19 league meetings and Carroll almost put clear water between the sides just after half-time as he shrugged off Mensah, but Lee Cattermole cleared his header off the line.

The hosts continued to live dangerously and Suarez had two bites of the cherry when the hapless Titus Bramble scythed down Carroll, but, after Friend played the advantage, the Uruguayan shot over.

Steed Malbranque led the Sunderland fight-back and curled a shot just wide before Jordan Henderson tried his luck from distance - his effort swerving wide of Jose Reina's goal.

After Carroll was withdrawn by Dalglish, with Sunderland fans chanting 'what a waste of money', Spearing almost doubled the Liverpool lead with a rising shot, but Mignolet pulled off a marvellous one-handed save to deny the midfielder.

Suarez secured the three points in the 77th minute when he picked up Kuyt's throw-in, cleverly sidestepped Henderson on the by-line before thumping the ball past Mignolet from the tightest of angles.

Suarez was in the thick of it throughout and was clumsily brought down by Mensah in the 82nd minute as he sped towards goal, giving Friend little choice but to dismiss the centre-half.

Ironically, Sunderland raised their game after Mensah's departure and Reina was forced into his first save of the afternoon when he plucked Cattermole's long-range drive out of the air.

Source: Daily Telegraph

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