Despite a valiant effort which saw the match level at the break, Huddersfield Town couldn't hold out in the second half to prevent Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool from claiming all three points at Anfield.
Well-taken strikes from Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum settled the encounter in which Town fought to an impressive extent but couldn't match the moments of quality needed to breach the home side's defensive ranks.
Saturday afternoon's trip to the red half of Merseyside, and to face a long-time close friend in Mr Klopp, resulted in David Wagner making just one change from the side that started in the magnificent victory over Manchester United last time around. Rajiv van La Parra slotted onto the right flank ahead of Elias Kachunga, whereas Collin Quaner was named amongst the substitutes on his return from a lengthy injury set-back (calf).
Liverpool's first real chance of creativity arrived in the form of a counter attack. Tom Ince's corner was cleared as far as Daniel Sturridge who turned defence into attack in the blink of an eye by caressing an accurate pass into the lane of the surging Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian touch seemed to get the better of him which therefore allowed Chris Löwe the chance to mop up effectively and deny any real threat of the break-away coming to any useful end product.
Alberto Moreno followed up by delivering a teasing low cross to the front post, again cleared sufficiently by Mathias Zanka who had covered well after reading the danger of Firmino's attempted flick from a late dash into the box.
Despite Town harrying the host out of possession on a number of occasions throughout the opening passages, it was to be the home side who continued to work the better openings. Two of the Reds' England Internationals in James Milner and Daniel Sturridge linked up innovatively; the latter thumping an effort into the ground which Jonas Lössl comfortably watched over his cross-bar.
Zanka would again be the hero to deny Sturridge with a firm standing block after the striker aimed to latch onto Egyptian International Mohamed Salah's pass towards the near post. Moments later, Salah had a sight of goal himself from the edge of the area, but Town's Danish custodian between the sticks was more than equal to the task of keeping the Terriers deservedly level up to that point of the contest.
Lössl would have to remain alert nonetheless to deny James Milner's curling effort bound for the far corner as a result of an inch-perfect cross-field pass from Jordan Henderson. However, the Terriers' shot stopper came up with arguably his best contribution of the encounter so far just minutes before the interval.
Referee Kevin Friend awarded a penalty for a foul on Roberto Firmino in the midst of positional jostling around the far post. Mohammed Salah would step up as the man entrusted to put Jurgen Klopp's outfit ahead. However, the Egyptian fired straight down the middle to find a resilient, diving Lössl in the way which ultimately sent the Blue and Whites into the changing room buoyed and all square at the interval.
The stalemate would last for a mere 5 minutes into the second 45 before Liverpool took the lead. A loose defensive header from an attempted lob over the top of the Town defence fell gratefully to an un-marked Daniel Sturridge. The striker showed good composure to dink a cheeky effort over the sprawling Lössl, handing the home side a lead which it never really looked back on.
Sturridge would come agonisingly close to doubling his own and the Club's tally a matter of minutes after the opener, as Mathias Zanka heroically clambered back inside the six-yard box to slide away for a corner before any Red shirt could tap home into what would have been an empty net.
Disappointingly, that resulting corner paved the way for yet another set-back which predominantly made the hill too steep for the Terriers to climb in order to avoid defeat.
Sturridge's line-leading companion Firmino would add his own name to the score-sheet by powerfully heading home James Milner's swinging corner at the front post to give the host a relative amount of breathing space in the process.
Mohamed Salah aimed to make amends for his earlier penalty miss by displaying sharp agility to turn away from his marker and fire off a low, drilled effort which struck the post via a critical deflection from a Blue and White jersey.
By now, the home side had largely taken control of the contest, but the Terriers continued to keep the ball on the deck whilst knocking it around with a certain degree of upbeat purpose, all whilst the 2,000 or so Town supporters in one corner of Anfield remained in fine voice.
Cameroonian central-defender Joel Matip glanced wide from another set-piece delivery having found himself in an alarming amount of space to leap highest in and around the six-yard box.
Tom Ince fired over the bar from a central area on the edge of Simon Mignolet's 18-yard box from a direct free-kick; instigated by the tenacity of Jonathan Hogg in the engine room to keep driving Town forward in search of a reply to reduce the arrears.
But instead of the Terriers finding a way back into the match, Georginio Wijnaldum evaded multiple markers to blast home a third which virtually confirmed that Town would leave Anfield without reward.
Matip once again found space in the area from a corner scenario on the brink of injury-time, but the Reds' 32 nodded harmlessly over Jonas Lössl's bar to round off an afternoon's proceedings which would do little to harm the spirits of the Terriers' who failed to be outdone in regards to commitment, determination and desire; even in the face of adversity.
TOWN'S STARTING LINE-UP (4-2-3-1):
Jonas Lössl; Chris Löwe, Christopher Schindler, Mathias Zanka, Tommy Smith (c) (Florent Hadergjonaj, 69'); Danny Williams (Steve Mounie, 69'), Jonathan Hogg (c); Tom Ince, Aaron Mooy, Rajiv van La Parra (Elias Kachunga, 33'); Laurent Depoitre
UNUSED SUBS:
Robert Green, Scott Malone, Martin Cranie, Collin Quaner
ATTENDANCE:
53,268
