It was not quite as an emphatic a victory as the scoreline suggested. In fact, it took the half to reset and find a way to breakthrough before Liverpool even looked lively enough to earn a victory. Still, the Reds did ultimately earn a win, beating Huddersfield Town 3-0 at Anfield.
Surprisingly, Jurgen Klopp made few changes from the side that came apart at the seams in London last week. With Philippe Coutinho unavailable through injury and Dejan Lovren’s last-minute substitution, Daniel Sturridge and Ragnar Klavan started. Only Georginio Wijnaldum actually replaced anyone, returning to the midfield instead of Emre Can. While the win will do them club some good, the gaffer may have missed a chance to impose new requirements on his players.
Instead of starting with a spark and showing they were ready to respond, Liverpool continued to stutter. Too slow and too sluggish, the Reds were allowed to knock the ball around their back line for most of the first half. For a team playing at home after a thrashing, there seemed precious little urgency.
Then a bit of luck fell their way with a late first-half penalty, which Mohamed Salah spurned, suggesting that maybe Liverpool were far from re-writing their wrongs. Even Jordan Henderson’s follow-up shot spun off the base of the post. The interval arrived with some vocal displeasure of the home supporters. Yet, the Reds found a way to grab all three points in a match that could easily have caused a crisis had they not.
Here are four findings from the match.
Penalty problems
Understandably, Salah seemed deserving to be the man on the spot. After sending his country to the World Cup only a couple of weeks ago with a penalty under far more pressure, taking one at Anfield should have been easy.
The Egypt international proved unable to replicate the left-footed magic, sending a weak strike off the goalkeeper, who did not have too much work to do.
Considering Roberto Firmino and James Milner were on the pitch, giving Salah the nod may be worth reconsidering. Milner may have missed his last one and his lack of starts might have factored but Firmino should have been the established taker. Even if he has struggled to find form of late, an easy goal could be just the thing to help.
Spot for Sturridge
There is a place still in the squad for Daniel Sturridge. The reality that he is not the player that lives so large in the memory can be a hard reckoning but he still has a role to play at Anfield. He needs managing now more than ever to be effective but he can be.
Robbed of the acceleration that blessed him with devastating pace and explosiveness, he still has guile. However, he needs a run of games to find rhythm and form. With the current injuries, he may just get that chance. If he can continue to score goals, he can extend that run himself. Plus, logging a century at club level is a worthy mark.
Henderson hurdle
As much as Sturridge’s situation can sadden, Henderson remains a shadow the player of recent memory too. The captain may have his moments, like the sumptuous ball he played to Firmino, but they are fewer and farther apart than ever.
At the minute, he makes about one truly sensational pass a match but the rest of the game is substandard.
Having struggled through injury problems for the better part of the last two seasons, he no longer seems to have the engine or brightness he once did.
His play is ponderous and protective. Whether under instruction or impetus, Henderson spends more time pointing and passing backwards and sideways, while splitting the centre-halves, without providing the side much push or pulse. Yet, hooking him for a spell remains remote.
Centre-half chance
Lovren’s late warm-up injury may have been the luckiest moment of all. Everyone looks better for it.
Liverpool managed a clean sheet in the aftermath of being smashed at Spurs. Also, the Croatian international avoided any further inviting catastrophic criticism that would have cascaded down upon him upon any error.
In his stead, Ragnar Klavan managed. He was not great but against a Huddersfield side content to stay back and rarely venture into the final third, the Estonian international grew into the game. To be named in the starting XI so late without much first-team football, he acquitted himself well enough to be reconsidered as a temporary option under the circumstances.