Mohamed Salah ended his mini-goal drought to help Liverpool extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield.
The Egyptian scored his first goal in five games for the club on 24 minutes when he produced a clinical first-time finish after running onto Xherdan Shaqiri’s perfectly-weighted through ball.
Salah’s 50th goal in English football moved the Reds joint-top on 23 points with Manchester City, whilst resigning David Wagner’s men to their ninth league game without a win.
The hosts came inches away from finding an equaliser seven minutes after Salah’s opener when captain Jonathan Hogg’s long-range half-volley thundered onto the post.
Three points marked a necessary response from Liverpool having fired blanks in both their Champions League defeat to Napoli and league draw with Manchester City prior to the international break.
Salah soon calmed nerves at the John Smith’s Stadium with the kind of instinctive finish that has often been missing from his game in recent weeks.
Joe Gomez’s ever-impressive distribution played an instrumental role in the move, with his fizzed pass between Huddersfield’s midfield granting Shaqiri the time to turn and feed Salah’s run.
The lacklustre Reds were handed a warning shortly after as Hogg struck the post with an effort from outside of the box.
Huddersfield had a penalty claim turned down later in the first half after the ball ricocheted between James Milner’s thigh and arm.
A spirited reply also saw the Terriers have a goal disallowed three minutes before the break after Alex Pritchard was deemed offside following his lofted effort over Alisson.
Jurgen Klopp was forced into a change at half-time, with skipper Jordan Henderson withdrawing due to injury.
It proved to be an ugly affair for Liverpool from then on as another disjointed attacking display turned into encouragement for the league’s 19th-placed side.
Alisson was called into action early in the second half, making a comfortable catch to deny Laurent Depoitre’s tame header.
The Belgian’s effort marked his side’s only attempt on target on the night, somewhat epitomising Huddersfield’s woes in front of goal.
Substitute Steve Mounie wasted a golden chance to level the score with 10 minutes remaining, blazing his effort over the bar after both Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren had miscued in their efforts to clear a cross.
A win for Liverpool means they are now only second behind City on goal difference, with Pep Guardiola’s men having beaten Cardiff 5-0 earlier in the day.
Huddersfield Town: Lossl, Zanka, Schindler, Lowe, Hadergjonaj (Mbenza 69′), Mooy, Hogg (Diakhaby 90′), Billing (Mounie 69′), Durm, Pritchard, Depoitre.
Liverpool: Alisson, Gomez, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson (Wijnaldum 45′), Milner (Firmino 76′), Salah, Shaqiri, Lallana (Fabinho 69′), Sturridge.