Mohamed Salah reminded everyone of his sharp finishing (Getty)
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Mohamed Salah finally returned to the lethal form Liverpool fans have come to expect after his first half strike sealed an unsteady victory against a valiant Huddersfield.
It was a serene rekindling of old Dortmund ties between Jurgen Klopp and David Wagner who conducted their post-match interviews as a pair but on the pitch Liverpool were decidedly sloppy and Huddersfield will rue a number of missed opportunities that could have dragged them out of the drop zone.
Salah's 50th Premier League goal came in the 24th minute after a deft ball by surprise Swiss starter Xherdan Shaqiri teed him up for a neat finish into the bottom corner.
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The Egyptian reacted to his first goal for four games with a mixture of ecstasy and relief but it was then Huddersfield who began to take a foothold in the match when many might have expected this season's more ruthless Reds to add to their tally.
Jonathon Hogg belted a long-range effort against the post and just minutes later Alex Pritchard thought his close-range chip over Alisson had levelled the match before being ruled narrowly offside.
The pattern continued in the second half as Huddersfield continued to spurned opportunities which might have changed the fate of the game.
Salah celebrates with James Milner after scoring his first goal in four (Getty)
Jurgen Klopp brought on Fabinho to try and reinforce the protection in front of Liverpool's defence but even then Huddersfield substitute Steve Mounie wasted a glorious chance with less than ten minutes to go when the ball fortuitously bumbled to him in the box only to wildly thrash it skyward.
The victory put Liverpool back on equal footing with Manchester City, who walloped Burnley earlier in the day, and two in front of Chelsea after their draw with Manchester United.
Huddersfield, however, remain winless in nine and sit in the uncomfortable saddle of the relegation zone with just three points.
Roberto Firmino should hit the target. Mohamed Salah holds the ball up well, Daniel Sturridge touches on to the Brazilian but Firmino lashes over the bar on his left foot.
They had to really battle for it, but Liverpool secure the 1-0 victory against a valiant Huddersfield to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table.
Huddersfield were really unlucky today. They hit the post and had a lot of possession, but just lacked the cutting edge required to force more goalscoring chances.
An excellent performance from David Wagner's side, though.
That is all from us here tonight. Stay tuned to The Independent for reaction, fallout and analysis from this evening's fixture, and indeed all of today's games.
I've been Harry Latham-Coyle - thank you for joining me.
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