Huddersfield 0-1 Liverpool: Five talking points
Mohamed Salah was the match-winner as Liverpool resumed their Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
The 26-year-old’s assured finish midway through the first half was enough for the Reds to claim all three points at John Smith’s Stadium and keep pace with reigning champions Manchester City.
Here are five talking points from the game…
200 up on the road
The success in Yorkshire brought up Liverpool’s 200th victory away from home in the Premier League era – a feat only previously achieved by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Watch: Highlights from the win at Huddersfield
Thirty of those have now been amassed under the guidance of Jürgen Klopp, who holds the best away win percentage of any Reds manager in the Premier League.
Liverpool have secured 13 points out of 15 on the road in the division this term, eight more than they had after five away games in 2017-18.
Salah back on the scoresheet
The 24th-minute breakthrough against the Terriers – ultimately, the winner – was a typically ‘Salah’ goal, the No.11 breaking free with a diagonal run into the box to collect Xherdan Shaqiri’s pass and knocking it into the opposite corner off the post.
It was Salah’s 50th strike for English clubs (48 Liverpool, two Chelsea), a total he has reached in just 83 games in all competitions.
For the Reds, the forward has now been directly involved in three goals in his three Premier League appearances against Huddersfield (two goals and one assist).
Lallana makes long-awaited return
Adam Lallana was named in Klopp’s starting XI for the first time in the league since January 1, 2018.
Stationed on the left side of the Reds’ front three, the No.20 provided his trademark work-rate and deft manipulation of the ball during his 69 minutes on the pitch.
Lallana topped the Liverpool rankings for passing accuracy in the opposition half (90 per cent of 30 passes) while no teammate contested more than his 15 duels (66.7 per cent of which he won).
Setting new defensive standards
Klopp’s Liverpool set a new defensive standard for the club on Saturday.
The clean sheet at John Smith’s Stadium means the Reds have conceded only three goals in the Premier League so far this season – a record low tally for the team after their opening nine league fixtures.
They required a touch of luck to do so, with Jonathan Hogg’s piledriver shortly after Salah’s opening goal crashing off the left post and away.
“We don’t want to use the post to defend, to be honest! If it happens then you take it, but it’s not defending – it’s lucky,” admitted Klopp in his post-match summary.
“Still, we will get more confidence from it [the clean sheet] and belief in what we can do there. If you are a team that is not easy to beat, it makes it a little bit easier to win.”
Alisson’s solid start continues
Alisson Becker had to make just one save during the clash, comfortably taking in Laurent Depoitre’s second-half header.
The shutout was the Brazil international’s sixth in the Premier League since joining the club from AS Roma in the summer, a mark only matched by compatriot Ederson.
Just one goalkeeper has ever recorded more clean sheets in his opening nine appearances in the competition – Petr Cech with seven.