Huddersfield Town vs. Liverpool: Score, Reaction to 2016 Pre-Season Friendly

Goals from Marko Grujic and Alberto Moreno saw Liverpool secure a 2-0 victory over Championship side Huddersfield Town on Wednesday at the John Smith's Stadium.   

Grujic netted 15 minutes from half-time with an excellent finish from the edge of the box, while Moreno slotted home a late penalty.

The pre-season friendly was well-fought between the two sides and was unique for involving a Liverpool goalkeeper operating as an outfield player for the last half-hour.

Both clubs provided their match squads ahead of kick-off:

Huddersfield started brightly and looked to take advantage early on as Liverpool failed to settle, but the first decent effort did not come until Sadio Mane dragged a shot past the post in the 16th minute.

Two minutes later, Liverpool's new Senegalese winger followed up a mislaid back pass and managed to poke the ball into the back of net as he beat Town goalkeeper Joel Coleman to the ball.

However, the official controversially ruled out the goal for a foul, after Mane seemed to have beaten the 'keeper fairly.

Huddersfield nearly took advantage of their good fortune midway through the first half as Joe Lolley's rasping shot drew a good save from Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

But Liverpool had much the better chances, and Mane was unquestionably the best player on the pitch in the opening 45 minutes, linking up well with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino—the trio caused havoc when they moved the ball quickly. 

He was inevitably involved when Grujic scored the opener just after the half-hour mark.

The former Southampton man linked up with Coutinho on the right before Grujic did well to control the Brazilian's cross on the edge of the box and rifle home a left-footed half-volley.

A couple of minutes later, Mane drew a penalty, having broken through on goal as Coleman brought him down in the box.

In a non-friendly game, the goalkeeper would have seen red, but he stayed on the pitch and saved Coutinho's spot-kick well with a strong dive to his right, per the Guardian's Andy Hunter:

Unsurprisingly, both sides made major changes at the break. Reds manager Jurgen Klopp used all his outfield substitutes, while the hosts fielded a new-look lineup:

The Terriers dominated possession in a less eventful first half, particularly after the hour, when Lucas Leiva limped off for Liverpool to leave them with just 10 men momentarily.

Klopp dealt with the personnel deficit by sending on goalkeeper Shamal George, his only remaining substitute, per the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce:

The 18-year-old played admirably in an unfamiliar role, but the Reds rarely threatened to extend their lead until late in the game.

Huddersfield were little better despite the fact that they dominated possession; their only proper sight of goal came 15 minutes from time, when Kyle Dempsey dragged an excellent effort past the post.

Eventually, a little bit of quality allowed Liverpool to finish with a comfortable win as winger Ryan Kent drew a penalty after beating his man on the left in the dying minutes of normal time.

Moreno dragged the spot-kick into the corner of the net to add some polish to the result for the Premier League outfit.

Post-Match Reaction

Reds stopper Karius said he was happy with another pre-season win and with a third consecutive clean sheet, per Liverpool:

Meanwhile, Klopp acknowledged how Lucas' injury changed the game in the second half, per the Liverpool Echo's Andy Kelly: "In the first half, we should have had a clearer lead. Second half, after Lucas’ injury, we had to fight, and that’s what they did. Of course, it was not a normal pre-season game anymore."