Liverpool bounce back from Tottenham lows to flatten Huddersfield at Anfield

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You might have heard this week that Jürgen Klopp and David Wagner are pretty close; Wagner had been Klopp’s best man at his wedding, Klopp is godfather to one of Wagner’s children; Klopp gave Wagner a job at Borussia Dortmund, Wagner is often seen at Anfield when Huddersfield are not playing.

In many ways, then, Wagner was just about the least ideal manager Klopp could have chosen to meet with Liverpool in such poor league form: someone in football - in life, indeed - he admits to knowing him better than anyone else outside his immediate family.

There remains, though, a cold and loveless reality: that for all of Huddersfield’s plans, for all of their organisation and for all their inside knowledge, if they make the sort of elementary individual mistakes as they did here, Liverpool eventually will take them to the cleaners and, with that, the complex of an entire afternoon will shift dramatically.

Having beaten Manchester United quite comfortably, Huddersfield were doing just fine at Anfield until Tommy Smith gave away a penalty moments before the break for tugging on Roberto Firmino’s shirt even though the set-piece he was defending did not really involve the Brazilian. Liverpool missed that opportunity to take the lead but it would not happen a second time when Smith’s poor header released Daniel Sturridge dead centre of goal just after half-time. From there, Liverpool were where they finally needed to be and they were away.

Smith’s mistakes, of course, were the sort you’d expect to see being made by Liverpool’s defence. It is fair to describe them as Dejan Lovren-esque, the under-fire Croatian who was selected by Klopp following his early substitution against Tottenham last week, but ultimately did not make it onto the pitch this time after sustaining an injury in the warm-up.

His absence did not help Liverpool’s preparation. It is fair to say Ragnar Klavan has not convinced many Anfield regulars that he is up to the standard of being a Liverpool player, even as back-up. The sight of him slicing a simple sideways pass into the advertising hoardings of the main stand, then slipping before giving away another throw-in inside the opening 20 minutes did not help an anxious mood, the type where Anfield is silent to the point of whaling children being audible somewhere in the middle-distance.

Klavan was not the only one guilty of sloppiness. The defence aside, one of Liverpool’s problems is Jordan Henderson’s form. His position is a key one for Liverpool because so often, the responsibility of playing the first progressive pass is with him. He is also the spare man in midfield and this means he is also the relief option when others are under pressure in possession. As Liverpool’s captain, he is expected to take care of his teammates and drive Liverpool forward as well. When your confidence is as low as his appears to be, though, and basic passes are failing to meet their destination, is it any wonder that structurally this Liverpool team seems flawed?

Liverpool could nevertheless have led earlier than they did. The decision to award Liverpool a penalty initially caused confusion because referee Kevin Friend was one of very few people to see Smith pulling the shirt of Firmino. Television replays revealed Friend as absolutely correct – not that Liverpool could capitalise, because Mohamed Salah drove the subsequent kick into the shins of Jonas Lossl. That Henderson sent the rebound bobbling agonisingly past Lossl’s right post using his shin summed up the type of afternoon he and Liverpool were having. That Liverpool have now missed their last three penalties at Anfield by using three different players tells you even more about their season so far as a whole.

Liverpool would meet fortune again, however. Smith could have chosen to let Alberto Moreno’s thumping pass run out for a goal-kick but instead, by flicking in-field, it allowed Sturridge to score, albeit with a superb lifted finish over Lossl. It became 2-0 when Firmino connected firmly with James Milner’s corner soon after and suddenly, Huddersfield were reeling and Liverpool were in control. A third for Liverpool felt like an inevitability and that came via Georginio Wijnaldum's run through a crowded box and stinging shot.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Klavan, Moreno; Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah (Solanke 80), Sturridge (Can 74), Firmino (Oxlade-Chamberlain 66). Subs not used: Karius, Grujic, Robertson, Woodburn.

Huddersfield Town (4-5-1): Lossi; Smith (Hadergonaj 69), Jorgensen, Schindler, Lowe; van la Parra (Kachunga 33), Williams (Mounie, 69), Hogg, Mooy, Ince; Delpoitre. Subs not used: Green, Malone, Craine, Quaner.