Liverpool slip into second place in the Premier League with a hard fought 2-1 success over Sunderland at Anfield.
Pool took the lead in the 39th minute with their only effort on target in the first half.
Sunderland defender Santiago Vergini was booked for a foul on Luis Suarez and skipper Steven Gerrard stepped up to curl the resultant free kick into the back of the net past the flailing hands of keeper Vito Mannone.
The Reds thought they'd wrapped the game up just a couple of minutes into the second half when Daniel Sturridge notched his 20th goal of the campaign with a deflected curler from the corner of the penalty area.
(With Suarez on 28 and now Sturridge on 20, it's the first time since the 1963/64 season that a pair of Pool players have hit 20 goals or more - back then it was Roger Hunt and Ian St John.)
But Sunderland had other ideas and the introduction of subs Adam Johnson and Ki Sung-Yeung pepped up the Black Cats.
And they ensured a nervous ending to the match for Pool with a goal in the 76th minute.
Johnson sent over an inswinging corner and there was Ki stooping to conquer at an unmarked far post.
But Pool held out for an invaluable three points.
