The 22-year-old Belgium international was beaten by the Uruguayan's audacious 77th-minute strike from the tightest of angles in his side's 2-0 Premier League defeat by the Reds on Sunday. Mignolet admitted he did not expect Suarez to shoot from such an unlikely position, and will study video footage of the goal when he returns from international duty in an effort to ensure he is never caught out like that again. He said: "I expected a cross because obviously he's right footed, but he smashed it in from a very small angle. "It's a good goal. I think we had lost the game before that, though. "As a goalkeeper you always have to learn from those things. I will have a look at the video when I get back from being with the national team and I will learn from it." If Suarez's contribution sealed Liverpool's victory, it was an earlier incident which effectively condemned the Black Cats to a third successive defeat and their fifth in six league games. There was little to choose between the sides until John Mensah tripped Jay Spearing as he attempted to atone for his initial error. Referee Kevin Friend initially awarded a free-kick, but on the advice of assistant Billy Smallwood, then pointed to the penalty spot instead despite replays suggesting contact had taken place outside the box. Dirk Kuyt took full advantage to give the visitors a 33rd-minute lead, and they never looked back with Mignolet having to make good saves from Suarez and Spearing, with substitute Lee Cattermole also clearing an Andy Carroll header off the line. By contrast, Sunderland, who had earlier lost midfielders Sulley Muntari and Kieran Richardson to injury, never really recovered from what proved to be a pivotal moment in the game. Mignolet said: "The first 20 minutes, we started well and put them under pressure. Then we got two injuries, and it's always difficult to get your shape back after that. "But it was a stupid penalty and everything went wrong for us after that. They got better and we had difficulty creating chances. "You can see how the game changed after the penalty, which was unfortunate for us. "From the first moment I saw it I thought it was outside the area. Then the linesman turned it around and he was further away than the referee. It's a strange decision. "But as a team, you have always got to look at yourselves." The defeat saw Steve Bruce's men slip to ninth place in the table on 38 points, just six clear of the drop zone, with a difficult trip to Manchester City to come next time out. They have taken just a single point from the last 18 on offer and seen their hopes of European qualification dissolve as a result, And while their run-in is less taxing than recent fixtures, on paper at least, they still have work to do to achieve their season's aim of a top-10 finish. Disappointingly for Bruce, an injury list which appeared to have reduced significantly in length before the weekend has grown once again with Muntari picking up a calf strain and Richardson a hamstring problem, while full-back Phil Bardsley was today having a scan on his knee. In addition, Mensah is facing a ban after being sent off for his 81st-minute foul on Suarez.
