Sunderland caretaker-manager Kevin Ball has said that he was pleased with the second-half performance of his players against Liverpool, despite losing 3-1 at home in the Premier League.

Emanuele Giaccherini grabbed a goal back after the break to make the score 2-1, but Luis Suarez scored his second of the game in the 89th minute to seal a Liverpool win.

"We are disappointed with the result, but in the second half it was a fantastic reaction to going 2-0 down," Ball told BBC Sport.

"I didn't think 3-1 was a fair reflection of the game. If you look at today as a whole, I think we put in a good performance."

The result lifts Liverpool up to second in the table and leaves Sunderland stranded at the foot of the Premier League.