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Score: Huddersfield Town 0-3 Liverpool
Goalscorers: Can 26', Firmino 45+1', Salah 78' (penalty)
Liverpool went back to winning ways with a ruthless performance against the struggling Terriers. After two back to back defeats, it was imperative for Liverpool to get a hold of things in order to continue their bid to maintain their top four place.
Emre Can opened the scoring for Liverpool with a stinging shot from outside the box. Roberto Firmino doubled the lead with an audacious finish from the tightest of angles and Mohammed Salah made it three from the spot.
On that note, let's take a look at the key talking points that were derived from Liverpool's routine 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town:
#5 Liverpool show much-needed solidity
Make no mistake, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool were under tremendous pressure coming into this game. The Reds had not lost two successive league games since 2015 which made this tie all the more important. Irrespective of the performance, Liverpool needed three points at all costs.
But the Reds delivered a professional performance in Yorkshire. They were quick off the blocks, the combination play was brilliant and the Reds also dominated the midfield. Finishing was on point from the attackers though the scoreline would have been more authoritative if Mane would have scored from his chances.
Also, when Huddersfield started getting into the game in the second half, Liverpool showed a surprising, hitherto rarely seen trait of mental toughness in defence and never looked like their usual suicidal self. This season Liverpool have not lost a game after taking a lead (17 times, 13 wins, 4 draws) which goes on to show their winning mindset after starting the game on the front foot.
#4 Liverpool's "one track" midfield deserve praise
A lot has been made (rightly so) of Liverpool's midfield since the departure of a South American genius desperate to complete his childhood dream move to Barcelona. The Reds have been criticized for lacking creativity in the centre of the park which was evident in the defeats against Swansea and West Brom.
Adding Adam Lallana's recurrence of an injury, Liverpool looked well short of creativity in midfield. Klopp selected the trio of Emre Can, James Milner and Jordan Henderson for the trip to Huddersfield. All the three mentioned players are often criticized for their single-mindedness and not offering that extra bit more in midfield.
But against Huddersfield, Henderson played the quarterback's role to perfection and also displayed a leadership which had been missing in his absence. Milner was at his industrious best - winning the ball back early and showing tremendous work rate.
Emre Can was the man of the match on the night as he looked extremely at ease and played as many as four key passes. He scored one, assisted one, and could have had a couple of more too. Can still remains the most inconsistent player of this Liverpool squad - sublime against Manchester City, horrible against Swansea and back to his best against Huddersfield.
#3 A change in tactics does not work for Huddersfield Town
The Terriers have had a terrible January. David Wagner's men have failed to win a single point in the new year which has seen them sitting in 14th spot, just one point safe from the relegation zone. To stop the rut that has been going on for the last few weeks, Wagner started against Liverpool with two strikers upfront - Laurent Depoitre and Steve Mounie.
This was a ploy used by Huddersfield for the first time this season and must have also been taken because of the defensive frailties showed by their opposition in recent times. But the duo failed to make the most of this opportunity and failed miserably.
Depoitre, otherwise strong in aerial duels, lost seven against Dejan Lovren. He also had a golden opportunity in the first half from inside the box but the striker fluffed his shot which became an easy save for Loris Karius. Meanwhile, Mounie was anonymous for almost the entire game and could not trouble the Liverpool backline in any possible way.
Huddersfield Town needs these two strikers to get on the act and start scoring regularly if they are to avoid the drop in their first season in the top division.
#2 Sadio Mane's form still remains a big worry
On one hand, Liverpool are enjoying the goalscoring returns of Roberto Firmino and Mohammed Salah but on the other, Sadio Mane's form is worrying the faithful. The Senegalese roadrunner has not looked confident since December and against Huddersfield, he was again not at his usual best.
In the first half, Mane lost possession on a number of occasions and also gave away the ball cheaply. A passing percentage of 67% proves this right. He improved that aspect in the second half and ran in the channels brilliantly, creating space for himself and the others.
Mane had two headed chances to get on the scoresheet but he shot one straight at Jonas Lossl and the other missed the target. Mane is said to have a history of underperforming in the winters but with no African Cup of Nations this year, Liverpool will hope to see him get back at his best soon with the season now entering the business period.
#1 Roberto Firmino on course to create Liverpool goalscoring history
The Brazilian raumdeuter scored yet again for Liverpool and it truly was an audacious goal. Just like his celebrations, his hairstyles and his fashion sense, Firmino added this cheeky finish against Huddersfield in his audacious list. Scoring from the tightest of angles, Firmino scored his side's second goal of the night and ultimately ended the first half on a high.
This was Firmino's 19th goal in all competitions which means that Liverpool are set to have two marksmen with 20+ goals in a season for the first time since Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez did it back in 2014. Mohammed Salah is already on 25 goals this season with Firmino set to join the 20+ club soon.
