Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool have finally overcome their travel sickness after a second successive away win in the new Barclays Premier League season.
The Reds won 2-0 at Sunderland thanks to first Premier League goals from Mohamed Sissoko and Andriy Voronin.
“It was really good, really important for us,” Benitez said of the victory.
“The team showed character.
“We had chances that maybe could have been in before (the second goal) but in this period when everyone was talking about our performances away last season, I think it was really important to win the match.”
Benitez praised the display of Sissoko, who replaced injured captain Steven Gerrard.
“It was important to see different player doing the job,” the Reds boss added. “It showed how strong our squad is now.
Benitez also revealed key defender Jamie Carragher would have an x-ray on a suspected broken rib.