Second-half strikes from David N'Gog and Yossi Benayoun were enough to see of the Black Cats, who should have taken the lead almost from kick-off.
The visitors caught Liverpool napping within three minutes when Kenwyne Jones intercepted a bad pass from Emiliano Insua before spinning easily past Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel but, having done the hard part, he lost his bottle when one-on-one with Pepe Reina and side-footed a weak effort far to close to the keeper.
Liverpool responded with a string of blocked long-range efforts one after the other at the opposite end of the field starting with an Albert Riera volley from the edge of the box which struck a Sunderland arm, but referee Mark Halsey had a good view and rightly waved play on.
After 20 minutes, the home side started dictating play with Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard being allowed to spray the ball across the park, but with no Fernando Torres leading the line the Reds never looked like finding the opener.
Rafael Benitez's men were unlucky not to have broken the deadlock on the half-hour mark but for a great stop by Marton Fulop down to his right.
Riera cut inside Tal Ben-Haim onto his right boot and drilled the ball against the lunging boot of Grant Leadbitter, but the ball was sent hurtling towards the bottom corner before the keeper's outstretched fingertips pushed the ball around the post.
Liverpool had the final chance of the half when Kieran Richardson lost the ball on the halfway line and a quick break by N'Gog saw a four-on-four situation.
But having released Javier Mascherano down the right, the Argentine opted to rush a shot instead of cross and could only find the side-netting.
Having looked a well-drilled unit in the first half, the Sunderland back line were almost caught out from a Gerrard corner in the first two minutes of the restart after Benayoun was allowed a free header from seven yards but his effort flew well wide.
Given his first league start of the season, N'Gog looked the most threatening of the Anfield attack and the deadlock was broken after the 19-year-old was on hand to finish Liverpool's best move of the game.
Winger Albert Riera beat his man for only the second time in the game and played a deep cross onto the head of Gerrard who directed the ball back across the box into the path of N'Gog, who scored his first and probably his easiest goal of the campaign.
Having frustrated Liverpool for most of the first period, Sunderland looked a different side, unable to keep the ball and no continuity to their passing, but it was bad defending that let the home side double their lead on 65 minutes.
A low drive from Alonso ricochet high in the air off a well timed block but with no-one fighting to clear the danger, N'Gog was allowed a speculative acrobatic effort that looked an easy catch for Fulop, but his costly fumble placed the ball at the feet of Benayoun, who couldn't miss an empty net to make it 2-0.
Desperate to hold on to some of their pride, Sunderland had 10 men back behind the ball but efforts from Riera and substitutes Ryan Babel and Nabil El Zhar could have easily punished what was such a contrasting defensive display from the visitors.