In a running theme this season, it has not been the prettiest of matches, but it was effective. Liverpool only needed a single goal to hold off Huddersfield Town on the road, slotting them nicely into second in the league table, level with Manchester City on point total only behind on goal differential. The win got Mo Salah back on the scoring sheet and was yet another clinical showing from the defense.
What Happened:
The match, to be frank, was not the most eventful affair the Reds have had this season. During the first 20 minutes or so, Liverpool and Huddersfield were really feeling each other out. In the 24th minute, the breakthrough occurred. Xherdan Shaqiri's pass after a half-turn was absolutely perfect. Mo Salah's run was sublime and he was in the perfect position to hit it despite the tough angle. It beat Jonas Lossl and Liverpool took the fairly early lead. It was the home side, though, that should have scored next. Jonathan Hogg, the captain of Huddersfield, had an absolute peach of a hit in the 31st that drilled the post to Alisson's left. It was nice from the midfield man who's only scored once in league play with the Terriers.
In fact, closing out the first half, it was Huddersfield with the best chances. Philip Billing's effort off a dead ball in the 38th was close and nicely hit, but just wide. There were penalty shouts on James Milner in the 42nd and Alex Pritchard seemingly found net in the next minute, but the shouts were waved off and Pritchard was offside. The second half was more of the same as the first 20 minutes, very few sudden moves from either side. Salah had another effort in the 64th, but he dragged it wide. Steve Mounie was free centrally and should have scored in the 81st just yards out from the goal, but it was skied. Ultimately, nothing would seriously trouble Liverpool in the second half, though, and the 1-0 was seen out well.
How Did This Happen:
Xherdan Shaqiri is loving his football with Liverpool this season. The Swiss sensation allowed Liverpool to drop into a 4-2-3-1 with Lallana the man on the left (as he played a bit last season) while Shaqiri dropped into the #10 role giving him massive freedom to roam and create for himself and, inevitably, others as emphasized by his assist. He has been absolutely stellar whenever called upon for Liverpool and despite surely being looked at by Liverpool fans as wing depth before the season, he's been a key in allowing Liverpool the ability to change up their line-up during the season thus far. He is surely in line to continue to get minutes, especially if he continues to perform in this advanced midfield role as he has been, and is definitely my man of the match despite an all around great performance by the defense.
Huddersfield posed a threat to Liverpool at times, how did they do so? One of their key features was a solid press up pitch with Liverpool playing from out back. It was not all out, but they picked and chose who and when to press. Generally, the key aspects were Laurent Depoitre and Alex Pritchard attacking centrally putting Alisson and the two Liverpool central defenders under pressure while Erik Durm and Florent Hadergjonaj got forward when it was necessary. In defense, it was Jonathan Hogg and Philip Billing who were tasked with making sure the Liverpool midfield would not be able to provide the outlet centrally that the boys in red needed to escape the press. As a result, we saw Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez see quite a bit of possession and James Milner received the ball plenty in a deeper midfield spot. Huddersfield's defense was organized and solid in the back. They did well to limit Liverpool's chances and a 1-0 scoreline proved their ability.
Depoitre put Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren under a bit of pressure. Winning six aerial duels and getting off four shots, he did better than a host of other attackers this season. He was able to drift in and out of channels quite well and his size and perhaps slightly surprising agility posed a threat for the two Liverpool defenders to chase. Combined with the fact that Pritchard plays a very free range position that involves him pressing forward but also dropping deeper in defense, and Liverpool had to keep watch with many position, especially with both full backs occupied by the movement forward of the Terriers' full backs. In terms of complete performances, Huddersfield put on a fairly complete one even in their losing effort and certainly deserve to be applauded.
What's Next:
A Wednesday clash at home with Red Star Belgrade is on deck for the Reds while the next league bout is next Saturday, also at home, against Cardiff City. It's a key week in the plans for Liverpool's ambitions this season as the side would love to continue taking points off sides that have been beaten already by rivals in both domestic and continental competitions.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
What Happened:
The match, to be frank, was not the most eventful affair the Reds have had this season. During the first 20 minutes or so, Liverpool and Huddersfield were really feeling each other out. In the 24th minute, the breakthrough occurred. Xherdan Shaqiri's pass after a half-turn was absolutely perfect. Mo Salah's run was sublime and he was in the perfect position to hit it despite the tough angle. It beat Jonas Lossl and Liverpool took the fairly early lead. It was the home side, though, that should have scored next. Jonathan Hogg, the captain of Huddersfield, had an absolute peach of a hit in the 31st that drilled the post to Alisson's left. It was nice from the midfield man who's only scored once in league play with the Terriers.
In fact, closing out the first half, it was Huddersfield with the best chances. Philip Billing's effort off a dead ball in the 38th was close and nicely hit, but just wide. There were penalty shouts on James Milner in the 42nd and Alex Pritchard seemingly found net in the next minute, but the shouts were waved off and Pritchard was offside. The second half was more of the same as the first 20 minutes, very few sudden moves from either side. Salah had another effort in the 64th, but he dragged it wide. Steve Mounie was free centrally and should have scored in the 81st just yards out from the goal, but it was skied. Ultimately, nothing would seriously trouble Liverpool in the second half, though, and the 1-0 was seen out well.
How Did This Happen:
Xherdan Shaqiri is loving his football with Liverpool this season. The Swiss sensation allowed Liverpool to drop into a 4-2-3-1 with Lallana the man on the left (as he played a bit last season) while Shaqiri dropped into the #10 role giving him massive freedom to roam and create for himself and, inevitably, others as emphasized by his assist. He has been absolutely stellar whenever called upon for Liverpool and despite surely being looked at by Liverpool fans as wing depth before the season, he's been a key in allowing Liverpool the ability to change up their line-up during the season thus far. He is surely in line to continue to get minutes, especially if he continues to perform in this advanced midfield role as he has been, and is definitely my man of the match despite an all around great performance by the defense.
Huddersfield posed a threat to Liverpool at times, how did they do so? One of their key features was a solid press up pitch with Liverpool playing from out back. It was not all out, but they picked and chose who and when to press. Generally, the key aspects were Laurent Depoitre and Alex Pritchard attacking centrally putting Alisson and the two Liverpool central defenders under pressure while Erik Durm and Florent Hadergjonaj got forward when it was necessary. In defense, it was Jonathan Hogg and Philip Billing who were tasked with making sure the Liverpool midfield would not be able to provide the outlet centrally that the boys in red needed to escape the press. As a result, we saw Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez see quite a bit of possession and James Milner received the ball plenty in a deeper midfield spot. Huddersfield's defense was organized and solid in the back. They did well to limit Liverpool's chances and a 1-0 scoreline proved their ability.
Depoitre put Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren under a bit of pressure. Winning six aerial duels and getting off four shots, he did better than a host of other attackers this season. He was able to drift in and out of channels quite well and his size and perhaps slightly surprising agility posed a threat for the two Liverpool defenders to chase. Combined with the fact that Pritchard plays a very free range position that involves him pressing forward but also dropping deeper in defense, and Liverpool had to keep watch with many position, especially with both full backs occupied by the movement forward of the Terriers' full backs. In terms of complete performances, Huddersfield put on a fairly complete one even in their losing effort and certainly deserve to be applauded.
What's Next:
A Wednesday clash at home with Red Star Belgrade is on deck for the Reds while the next league bout is next Saturday, also at home, against Cardiff City. It's a key week in the plans for Liverpool's ambitions this season as the side would love to continue taking points off sides that have been beaten already by rivals in both domestic and continental competitions.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
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