Liverpool ground out a 1-0 win at Huddersfield as Mohamed Salah’s goal took them back up to second place in the Premier League table.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were far from their best, but Salah’s clinical finish before the break proved enough for the points against a home side lacking a cutting edge.
In a hectic start, Huddersfield had the first glimmer of an opportunity when Laurent Depoitre got down the right but Erik Durm waited too long and lost the chance to shoot.
Liverpool began to settle, and after 12 minutes James Milner’s long pass almost put Xherdan Shaqiri in only for Christoph Schindler to close him down superbly.
The game remained bitty, and the visitors made a mess of a promising position when Jordan Henderson’s pass failed to find the returning Adam Lallana, who had worked his way into space on the right.
But after 23 minutes they were ahead with a moment of quality, Joe Gomez and Shaqiri creating the chance for Salah, whose low finish beat Jonas Lossl.
Huddersfield could consider themselves unfortunate and responded brightly when Aaron Mooy played the ball to Durm, who was denied by a fine Gomez challenge.
They were even closer after 31 minutes when Jonathan Hogg, 30 yards out, unleashed a brilliant shot that flew past Alisson but came back off the post.
Lallana was booked for a foul on Chris Lowe, and the home side asked questions again when a Philip Billing free kick went narrowly past the post.
They wanted a penalty when Hogg’s header appeared to hit Milner’s arm but the referee waved the appeals away, and then had a goal disallowed when Alex Pritchard’s dinked finish was ruled out for offside.
Liverpool replaced Henderson with Georginio Wijnaldum at the break, the captain suffering a tight hamstring and the armband going to Milner.
The new captain engineered the first opening of the second period, his cross falling to Daniel Sturridge whose effort was well off target.
Liverpool manager Klopp was frustrated when Hogg pulled back Wijnaldum as he threatened to break away but escaped a booking.
Huddersfield were having the better of the second period and, when Florent Hadergjonaj crossed, Depoitre’s header was stopped by Alisson.
But with 64 minutes gone Liverpool were close to a second when Salah controlled the ball on the edge of the box but fired wide.
Fabinho came on to make his Premier League debut for Liverpool, replacing Lallana, and Huddersfield made a change moments later with Steve Mounie replacing Billing.
Liverpool threatened to add a second as the game moved into its final quarter of an hour, but Sturridge was crowded out inside the area before being booked for kicking the ball away.
Salah failed to find the right pass to put Shaqiri clean through with 10 minutes left, and Liverpool were almost made to pay two minutes later when Mounie lifted a hurried shot well over the bar when the ball fell to him inside the area.
Roberto Firmino, who had replaced Milner, failed to find the right pass as Liverpool squandered a great chance to break, and with time running out Huddersfield replaced Hogg with Adama Diakhaby.
The substitute created a late threat with a low pullback, but Liverpool scrambled it away and held on to keep the pressure on City.
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