The German was excellent in the first half of Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Sunderland, with the German hitting the post with a well-placed left shot
21:39, 11 Feb 2026Updated 23:24, 11 Feb 2026
Steven Gerrard compared Florian Wirtz to Zinedine Zidane
Steven Gerrard compared Florian Wirtz to Zinedine Zidane in the first half of Liverpool’s Premier League encounter against Sunderland on Wednesday.
Wirtz was the standout performer in the opening 45 at the Stadium of Light and produced four shots, two of which were on target, while he managed more touches in the Sunderland box than any other player.
His best moment came when he fastened onto a Cody Gakpo pass, teeing pup a left foot effort. The shot clipped the post and was the closest Liverpool came to opening the scoring. It was a display that Gerrard was hugely impressed with.
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“He has been Liverpool’s best player,” the former Liverpool skipper said during TNT Sports’ half-time coverage.
“It looks like he is going to be the one to open the door. He is very effective when he stays the other side of the midfield.
“He doesn’t need to come deep to receive it. He has got to allow [Ryan] Gravenberch and [Alexis] Mac Allister to do that. As soon as they change the speed and the tempo of the game, it allows them to penetrate.”
Reviewing the footage of Wirtz’s post-hitting effort, Gerrard continued: “He is the one and this where he’s brilliant.
“An early pass, a fantastic touch, it’s almost Zidane-like. He takes it back away from the defender, so he hasn’t got time to defend it, and he’s really unlucky with that effort.
Wirtz has impressed in recent weeks(Image: Getty Images)
“He’s looked like the likely one and the one to open the door with his quality.”
Ultimately, it wasn’t Wirtz who grabbed the decisive moment at the Stadium of Light, but Virgil van Dijk.
The Liverpool captain rose highest in the box to plant a header into the Sunderland goal, although Habib Diarra did apply the final touch before the ball nestled in the back of net.
Liverpool’s 1-0 win means it closed the gap to Manchester United and Chelsea in fourth and fifth, while the Reds are the first visiting side to take all three points from the Stadium of Light this season.
The only sour note of the night came with Wataru Endo replaced with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.