Liverpool moved back level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town at The John Smith's Stadium this evening.
Mohamed Salah provided the one moment of telling attacking quality in an otherwise underwhelming encounter when he poked his finish into the bottom corner midway through the first half.
Huddersfield did almost respond before half time with a Jonathan Hogg effort which crashed against the post and a disallowed goal, but they have now failed to score in their last seven Premier League home games.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
This match pits two friends against each other in the form of managers David Wagner and Jurgen Klopp, but they have experienced contrasting starts to their Premier League campaigns so far.
We will have a look at both clubs a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
We, we are going to have to start with Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp has made a few interesting selections in his starting XI this afternoon, perhaps taking the chance to rest some players in a game his side are heavy favourites for.
The most notable absentee is probably Roberto Firmino, who is only named on the bench as Daniel Sturridge leads the line. Sturridge has already scored more goals in nine appearances this season than he did in 20 last season, but it is still a surprise to see him included ahead of Firmino.
Many of Liverpool's injury worries from the international break appear to have been eased, though, with key players such as Virgil van Dijk, James Milner and Mohamed Salah all having shaken off concerns to start this match today.
Much has been made of Salah's form this season compared to his record-breaking campaign last term, and the Egyptian international goes into today's game hoping to end what is now a seven-game drought without scoring away from home for Liverpool across all competitions.
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Lallana is one of three changes to the team which drew with Manchester City in their last outing before the international break, with Firmino and Mane also dropping out for Sturridge and Shaqiri. Gomez continues at right-back, meanwhile, with Alexander-Arnold once again on the bench.
That one change sees Florent Hadergjonaj come into this side for his first start in four games, forcing Rajiv van la Parra to drop to the bench.
The player over whom most question marks lay was Philip Billing, who picked up an ankle injury on duty with Denmark Under-21s but is deemed fit enough to start this match.
There is no room in the squad for Ramadan Sobhi, though, with the midfielder having been pushing for a return to full fitness for a number of weeks now.
Wagner continues to keep faith with striker Laurent Depoitre, meanwhile, despite his side's obvious struggles to find the back of the net so far this term.
Going into this weekend Huddersfield were the joint-lowest scorers in the league alongside Cardiff with just four goals apiece, but Cardiff have today doubled their tally for the entire campaign to leave the Terriers with the most attacking record in the top flight.
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The Terriers were second-favourites to go down before the season began, and there haven't been many signs of them disproving that so far. Indeed, a defeat today could see them overtake Cardiff as the favourites following that win for the Bluebirds against Fulham.
IThat Premier League winless run stretches to 12 games including the tail end of last term, which is their longest such streak in league football since 2000, while they have also only won one of their last 18 stretching back to the end of February.
The Huddersfield fans are still waiting to see their side score at the John Smith's this season, and another blank today would see them join Everton's class of 1998-99 as the only teams to have failed to score in any of their first five home games at the start of a Premier League season.
Indeed, it is now six Premier League home games since they so much as scored a goal at home, just two games short of the unwanted all-time record of Man City in 2006-07.
Tom Ince's 91st-minute winner against Watford in April is the only goal any Huddersfield player has ever scored at home since February 11.
The Terriers have not been able to keep their opponents at bay in general either, and their only home point of the campaign so far was in a goalless draw with fellow relegation candidates Cardiff City.
Indeed, under Jurgen Klopp the Reds have lost five of their nine away Premier League games against teams who began the day in the relegation zone, and they are winless in their last six such matches, taking just two points from a possible 18 in that time.
Last season alone, Liverpool dropped nine points against bottom-three clubs.
This season's Liverpool does have the look of a team who will not repeat those same old mistakes, though, and having got through a difficult patch of fixtures recently, they will be looking forward to a couple in which they are expected to win.
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It was in the other competitions where the damage was dealt, with Liverpool being beaten by Chelsea in the EFL Cup and then losing to Napoli in the Champions League to make it four games without a win across all competitions.
Manchester City have laid down the latest challenge with a 5-0 win over Burnley this afternoon, but Chelsea dropped points against Manchester United so Liverpool could steal a march on one of their closest challengers at least today.
Klopp's side have now lost just one of their last 16 Premier League outings and are unbeaten in nine, the most recent of which was their goalless draw against Man City at Anfield in which Mahrez missed a late penalty.
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It has not been the free-flowing, free-scoring Liverpool attack of last season so far this term - indeed they are the joint-lowest scorers in the top six at the beginning of the day - and considering two of the usual suspects are missing today it could be a challenge for the visitors to break their hosts down.
Should they avoid defeat again today, which they are overwhelming favourites to do, then it would be their longest away unbeaten streak since they went six without defeat on New Year's Day of this year.
It is hard to see anything but an away win today, with Huddersfield in such poor scoring form at home. Liverpool's own form has not been the best lately, but the standard of opposition must come into consideration there and they should return to winning ways today.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Huddersfield 0-3 Liverpool
The two sides had not faced off in the league since 1971-72 when Huddersfield visited Anfield just under a year ago, with Sturridge, Firmino and Wijnaldum on the scoresheet on that occasion. The reverse fixture in January ended the same, with Can, Firmino and Salah getting the goals that time.
Indeed, the Terriers have failed to score in their last seven clashes with Liverpool, with their last goal in this fixture coming all the way back in a 1-1 draw at Anfield in April 1962.
Since then, Liverpool are unbeaten in 12 meetings with the Terriers across all competitions, winning nine of those. Two more goals tonight would incidentally see them become the first club to score 100 against Huddersfield in the top flight.
HUDDERSFIELD STARTING XI: Lossl; Durm, Zanka, Schindler, Lowe; Billing, Hogg, Mooy, Pritchard, Hadergjonaj; Depoitre
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson; Gomez, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Lallana; Salah, Sturridge, Shaqiri
Shaqiri does burst into life here, taking the ball in his stride before driving forward and sliding a pass down the right channel for Salah. The winger toe-pokes his finish across goal into the far corner, putting it beyond the reach of Lossl.
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The ball arrives to the midfielder a good 25 yards from goal - perhaps further - and he heeds the crowd's urge to shoot. His driven strike beats Alisson all ends up, but it crashes against the post and comes back out as Liverpool survive.
🎶 The Egyptian king! 🎶
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 20, 2018
Mo Salah is back amongst the goals as he fires @LFC ahead against @HTAFCdotcom in fine fashion! 🔥
Watch more @PremierLeague clips and highlights in the @SkySports app. Download it here:
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The hosts have held their own for the most part and piled some late pressure on in the closing stages of the half, but Liverpool held out to take the lead into the break.
Shaqiri supplied the pass, but Salah's movement was not that special and he was still left with plenty of room to poke his clinical finish into the bottom corner, leaving Lossl no chance in the Huddersfield goal.
The hosts did actually have the ball in the back of the net late in the half, but Pritchard's finish was ruled out for offside in a very narrow - but correct - decision. Moments earlier Liverpool had also survived a penalty shout, so they were very much hanging on at the end of that half.
50 - Mohamed Salah has scored his 50th goal for English clubs, reaching this tally in just 83 games in all competitions. King. #HUDLIV pic.twitter.com/YIoGMS78EL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 20, 2018
It falls to Mounie, but he snatches at it and slices his finish over the crossbar when he really should have scored! Golden opportunity!
Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game at the John Smith's Stadium with a clinical finish in the first half, but that was a rare moment of attacking quality on show today and it proved to be the difference.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's late kickoff as Liverpool return to winning ways at the expense of Huddersfield, who remain winless this season. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
