Having fallen badly in the last two matches, Liverpool were desperate to make statement and fix faults that were exposed.
The Reds did just that as the trip to Yorkshire proved the right remedy. Liverpool battered Huddersfield Town aside 0-3 at Kirklees Stadium with a solid performance.
Aided by facing a side that was not interested in sitting deep and who were trying to take the sting out of the game helped. However, Liverpool were also in the mood and grafted until they regained some of their precision passing and adaptable attacks.
The Reds managed to be both patient and aggressive. They started with more energy but needed to find their way back into form. The side managed to discover the right balance for the occasion, as well as find a key finish to open the game up in their favour.
As Emre Can opened the scoring, Liverpool looked to get a vice grip on the game. Before the half, Roberto Firmino doubled the lead. After the break, Can earned a penalty, which Mo Salah struck home, ending the contest. It was a professional performance that was much needed and sets up a critical clash against Spurs at Anfield at the weekend.
Here are four findings from the match;
Emre Envy
It is in matches like this where Reds fans will long for Emre Can in the not too distant future. Allowed to advance and playing a more box-to-box role, Can opened the scoring with a sweet strike that found its way to the bottom right corner. It was clear from the start that the young German was on it. He was the best player on the pitch by some distance.
His complete passing range and skill was on full display. He created multiple chances, finding teammates time and time again. The midfielder was everywhere against Huddersfield, even dropping to his more familiar of late holding position late after Jordan Henderson’s substitution. Should he leave in the summer, a void will be felt.
Bobby Bang
After a couple of matches where Roberto Firmino may have seemed slightly jaded, he was back to his best against the Terriers. There is no better player in the league without the ball at his feet. The Brazilian lead an aggressive gegenpress from the front and floated fluidly from sideline to sideline in consort with both of his wide men.
Additionally, Firmino also played the most pivotal role in Liverpool rediscovering some of their more precise passing patterns. It took some patience and persistence but it certainly paid off. It was a clever sequence of one-touch play that saw the striker slide behind the Huddersfield back line with time and space to dance along the enplane before banging it between Jonas Lössl and the near post.
Measured Midfield
A spate of matches in the last week required Jurgen Klopp to continue rotating the squad. Additionally, the need to find minutes for a returning Jordan Henderson gave the gaffer a chance to change the engine room for the side. Adding James Milner and keeping Emre Can gave the Reds a far more measured approach in the middle of the pitch.
While there was a danger of the trio being one-paced, they provided a bit more guile and patience in a match that Liverpool needed to win and rebound from two consecutive defeats. Given that Huddersfield do not present a lot of pace and were content to just sit behind the ball, Klopp was able to use the squad well and still get a solid result.
Surging Scot
Alberto Moreno may have returned recently from from injury to start a recent cup match but he should find it difficult to displace Andrew Robertson. Forced to wait for his opportunity, the summer signing has grabbed it and grown in the Spaniard’s absence. The young Scot is making a serious claim to securing a spot at left back.
Increasingly reliable in defence, the fullback provides a constant outlet and surges forward in support of the attack. Overlapping or dropping off as an option, his positional play and sense of timing has already surpassed Moreno. Even better, Robertson no longer simply lashes crosses in from out wide. His quick combination play is part of what released Firmino on the left for the game’s telling goal. Robertson has earned the right to start regularly for this side.