Liverpool have returned to winning ways as a second-half three-goal salvo saw Jurgen Klopp's side claim a 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town in Saturday's Premier League encounter at Anfield.
The Reds were unable to breach a dogged Terriers defence in the first half, with Mohamed Salah failing to convert a penalty shortly before the break.
However, Tommy Smith's miscued header saw Daniel Sturridge nip in and dink the ball over Jonas Lossl and into the Huddersfield net in the 50th minute.
From then on the floodgates opened as Roberto Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum added two more unanswered goals to edge Liverpool up to sixth in the standings.
Here is how Sports Mole covered the action on Merseyside.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of today's Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Huddersfield Town at Anfield.
Today's match on Merseyside pits two long-time associates and compatriots against one another. Jurgen Klopp and David Wagner first became friends when playing for Mainz together in the 1990s, but today they will be in opposing dugouts and, with so much at stake for both sides, don't expect any favours.
The Reds are currently in a spot of bother, sitting ninth in the table with just 13 points from their nine league games so far, and their defensive issues were laid bare for all to see in last weekend's 4-1 defeat at Spurs.
Huddersfield, meanwhile, have exceeded all expectations so far. Many expected them to be struggling from the off following promotion via the playoffs last season, but they currently sit 11th in the table with 12 points, and their last game saw them claim a 2-1 win over Manchester United that will be remembered by Terriers fans for years to come.
Without further ado, let's bring you the team news from Anfield.
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet, Gomez, Lovren, Matip, Moreno, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Salah, Sturridge, Firmino
HUDDERSFIELD STARTING XI: Lossl, Smith, Schindler, Zanka, Lowe, Hogg, Williams, Mooy, La Parra, Ince, Depoitre
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Karius, Grujic, Klavan, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Can, Robertson, Solanke
HUDDERSFIELD SUBS: Green, Malone, Kachunga, Cranie, Quaner, Mounie, Hadergjonaj
Philippe Coutinho was a doubt for today's game with an adductor problem that has seen him miss training this week and the team sheet has confirmed that he will play no part today.
Two changes from Klopp then, with Coutinho's absence in the starting XI filled by Daniel Sturridge, who will lead the Liverpool line, while Georginio Wijnaldum returns to the midfield and Emre Can drops to the bench.
Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne are all sidelined, while Danny Ward will not face his former club after suffering a back injury.
Wagner, meanwhile, makes just one change to the side that shocked Man United last weekend, with Rajiv van La Parra - who came on in that game for Elias Kachunga after 39 minutes - taking his place in the starting line-up today.
Kachunga had suffered a back injury last weekend, but is among the substitutes this afternoon, while Colin Quaner has recovered from a calf injury to also make the bench.
In terms of long-term absentees, Kasey Palmer, Michael Hefele and Jon Gorenc Stankovic remain sidelined for Huddersfield.
As I mentioned before, Klopp and Wagner are very good friends - they played together at Mainz, coached together at Borussia Dortmund, and Klopp chose Wagner as his best man 12 years ago. The Reds boss even admitted that he "cried like a baby" when Wagner sealed promotion to the top flight at the end of last season.
"I was nervous like hell," Klopp told reporters when recalling the moments prior to Christopher Schindler's shootout-winning penalty at Wembley. "And afterwards, Ulla (Klopp's wife) sent (Wagner) a video of me crying like a baby when it happened, the final penalty, as I could not stop."
"I am happy we play against each other in the Premier League. It's exciting 100 percent," Klopp continued. "Our friendship will last for the rest of our lives but I want to win this game. It will be the same for him. I've said the worst things to David than anyone else in the world and we're still friends."
And here are Wagner's pre-match ponderings on the fixture (and his bestie): "It's extraordinary, yes it is, because he's my best friend and he's the manager of Liverpool. But I think the real important and extraordinary story is Huddersfield Town meets Liverpool in the Premier League in a competitive game. I think nobody should forget this. I don't know for how many years, the last time this football club was able to play at Anfield in a competitive game. This is the big story for us."
Going back to the nitty-gritty of the game, Liverpool will be desperate to get back to winning ways. For a side that was supposed to be challenging near the top of the table, sitting ninth on 13 points (closer to the bottom three than top spot) and with 16 goals conceded in nine games is pretty damning even at this early stage of the season.
Form-wise, the Reds have won just one of their last five league games. Granted, a run of fixtures against Newcastle, Man United and Tottenham is not especially easy, but if they are to be considered title challengers, they should be putting these kinds of teams away as well.
Huddersfield appeared in danger of tailing off prior to last week's game against Man United, with two draws and two defeats, but beating Jose Mourinho's charges will have galvanised the team massively, and they will be confident going into this game.
The Klopp-Wagner narrative is the dominant one today, but it'll also be a special game for Terriers star Tom Ince.
📸 it's a return to Anfield for #htafc's Tom Ince today; he started his professional career with @LFC, making one League Cup appearance (DTS) pic.twitter.com/2aQd1xHMYN — Huddersfield Town (@htafcdotcom) 28 October 2017
HEAD TO HEAD: Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 10 league and cup games against Huddersfield, boasting seven wins and three draws.
Huddersfield's last top-flight win - and top-flight goals - at Anfield came in a 3-1 victory on March 6, 1954; on that day, Gerry Burrell scored twice, with Tommy Cavanagh also on target against Liverpool, who were relegated that season after finishing bottom of the table.
This will be the first league meeting between the sides since 1972 and the first competitive encounter since the Reds won 2-0 away from home in the FA Cup third round in December 1999.
SCORE PREDICTION: Having been thrashed last time out and being well aware of the surprise sprung by Huddersfield against Man United, I'm expecting Klopp to have organised his team appropriately, and with the Terriers' high pressing style, this could benefit the Reds' impressive attackers. I'm expecting Liverpool's quality to shine through and tip the hosts to claim a 2-0 win.
TEAM NEWS UPDATE: There has been a late change for Liverpool - Dejan Lovren has suffered an injury in training, so in comes Ragnar Klavan to the XI, with Ben Woodburn given a berth on the Reds bench.
Both sets of players walk out to the home supporters signing "You'll Never Walk Alone" before shaking hands with one another - not long to go until kickoff!
This is Liverpool's last home Premier League match ahead of Remembrance Sunday so there will be a minute's silence.
KICKOFF! The visitors get the action underway at Anfield, with both sides in their traditional home kits.
Liverpool quick out of the starting blocks as Sturridge picks up the ball inside the area, but his flick for Salah doesn't quite come off.
The first corner of the game falls to the Terriers as Williams forces an error from Moreno, which Ince takes, but Matip heads clear.
Pretty much as expected, Liverpool are dominating possession and asking the questions so far, while Huddersfield are sitting back very deep, being patient and soaking up the pressure.
Moreno whips in a dangerous ball from the left-hand side but Zanka is on hand to make a vital clearance at the near post.
Klavan brings down Depoitre for a Huddersfield free kick, which is whipped in and played out by Henderson for a corner, but the set piece is eventually cleared by the Reds defence.
Wijnaldum is down receiving treatment after an aerial challenge and although he comes back on, he doesn't look comfortable. How long will he last?
CHANCE! First chance of the game and it falls to Liverpool as Henderson finds Milner in space out wide, a cross is whipped in to the far post where Sturridge connects but sends his volley downwards into the ground and clears the bar with the bounce.
Henderson tries to lift the ball over the defence to find Sturridge's run but Zanka heads it out of play for a corner, Milner curls the ball into the box but Lossl is on hand to claim.
Coming up to the midway point in the first half and it's been pretty tense so far, Huddersfield's defence is watertight and Liverpool are struggling to get through at the moment, with just the one chance and no efforts on target just yet.
Pretty much every player bar the Liverpool keeper is camped in the Huddersfield area but still not much to write home about, the hosts patiently trying to pick the locks.
CHANCE! Liverpool are edging closer but still no cigar as Moreno sets up Salah to cross into the box from the byline but evades everyone in the centre, before Wijnaldum scoops a ball goalwards from the edge of the area which is claimed by Lossl.
CHANCE! Yet more pressure from Liverpool and Salah's involved once again, first sending a low cross the way of Sturridge, who fires wide, and not long after the Egyptian plays a one-two with Firmino but fires straight at Lossl.
Lowe runs over to the sidelines with blood pouring from his face following an aerial challenge with Salah and duly gets patched up before coming back on.
CHANCE! Henderson's crossfield ball finds Milner, who controls it in the box before volleying goalwards, but Lossl gets down and keeps hold of the ball.
SUBSTITUTION: Van La Parra is forced to come off after receiving a knock from a challenge with Milner, Kachunga taking his place.
Not long until the break and this game hasn't really clicked into gear, with Liverpool seldom making headway into the opposition's final third and generally being very lacklustre.
PENALTY! Liverpool win a penalty after Smith pulls Firmino down in the box and Salah steps up to take...
PENALTY SAVED! Lossl gets down to his left to push away Salah's spot kick and, from the rebound, Henderson blasts against the post and wide! What a let-off for the visitors!
Two minutes added on at the end of the first half...
HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 0-0 HUDDERSFIELD
So that's the half-time whistle blown and both sets of players head back to the dressing rooms with the game evenly poised and neither side finding the breakthrough.
Liverpool have truly dominated possession in this game but, save for a couple of half-chances, have failed to make it count, with the visitors holding firm at the back.
It seemed as though the Reds would get off the mark when Tommy Smith hauled down Roberto Firmino for a penalty on the stroke of half time, but Mohamed Salah's spot kick was kept out by Jonas Lossl and Jordan Henderson couldn't make the most of a gilt-edged chance from the rebound.
Many Liverpool fans are asking why James Milner didn't take the spot kick - expect this to make the post-match discussions, particularly if the Reds fail to win.
HALF-TIME STATS: Liverpool have had 78% possession, mustered six shots, three of which were on target, and won two corners. Huddersfield, in comparison, had 22% possession, failed to get a single shot in, either on or off target, and won two corners. Only one team in it then, but the scoreline is all square.
34 - Liverpool have now missed 34 @premierleague penalties - no side has missed more in the competition (Arsenal also 34). Waste. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) 28 October 2017
KICKOFF: Milner gets the second half underway for Liverpool, with neither side making any changes at the break.
Like at the start of the first half, Liverpool are quick out of the starting blocks, with Milner making headway into the Huddersfield box, but he's penalised for a stray arm.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 HUDDERSFIELD (DANIEL STURRIDGE)
Just the restart that Klopp would have wanted! Moreno's delivery is poorly headed backwards by Smith into the path of Sturridge, who claims and calmly dinks the ball over the onrushing Lossl and into the back of the net!
How will Wagner respond to this setback? Huddersfield have sat back all game but now they're going to have to come forward, which could open up gaps at the back.
CHANCE! Firmino's cross is initially cleared but Moreno has another chance to deliver, but Sturridge's acrobatic attempt misses and Milner skews his effort wide.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 2-0 HUDDERSFIELD (ROBERTO FIRMINO)
And that's Liverpool's second, and now it looks like there's only going to be one winner today! Zanka's vital interception prevents Sturridge from grabbing a second, but from the resulting corner, Milner's delivery meets Firmino's head and beats Lossl!
CHANCE! The home side are in complete control now and come so close to grabbing a third, with Salah picking up Firmino's pass in the middle of the box, turning his man and firing towards the bottom corner of the net, only for Lossl to turn the ball round the post.
SUBSTITUTION: Firmino is given a standing ovation by the Anfield crowd as he makes way for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
CHANCE! A huge let-off for Huddersfield as another dangerous corner is whipped into the box, where Matip connects, but sends his header narrowly wide of the left-hand post.
SUBSTITUTIONS: That's the lot in terms of Huddersfield changes as Smith heads off for Hadergjonaj, while Mounie replaces Williams.
Huddersfield win a free kick 25 yards out, with Ince playing a one-two with Mooy before shooting, but it ends up going over.
SUBSTITUTION: Sturridge makes way for Can.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 3-0 HUDDERSFIELD (GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM)
If it wasn't game over with Liverpool's second goal, it certainly is now! No way back for Huddersfield surely as Salah lays the ball back for Wijnaldum, who takes a touch and rifles a ferocious effort beyond Lossl into the top corner!
SUBSTITUTION: We have the final change of the afternoon as Salah goes off to be replaced by Solanke.
Solanke bears down towards goal and fancies a go but opts not to shoot with his left foot before being crowded out after trying to switch to his right.
Liverpool continue to dominate as they've done all game and are in cruise control as Solanke has a go from distance but Lossl claims with ease.
Three minutes of stoppage time are announced as Liverpool continue toying with their opponents and applying pressure to Huddersfield's goal.
Liverpool win a free kick from range and Henderson decides to go for goal, but blasts over.
FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 3-0 HUDDERSFIELD
That's the full time whistle and it's ultimately a straightforward victory for Liverpool, though they had to work hard to break down a resilient Huddersfield side.
A frustrating first half in which the Reds dominated but had nothing to show for it - particularly with Mohamed Salah's penalty being saved - gave way to a much-improved second period where an error from Tommy Smith allowed Daniel Sturridge to open the scoring. From then on it was one-way traffic as Roberto Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum made sure of all three points for Jurgen Klopp.
That's all we've got time for here at Anfield but stick with Sports Mole because we'll be bringing you match reports, post-match reaction and all the latest news from today's football! Thank you for following and, until next time, goodbye!
Written by
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte
