Saturday 12 August 2017 19:58, UK
David Wagner hailed his "clinical" Huddersfield side after the Terriers earned a 3-0 victory at Crystal Palace on their Premier League bow.
There was no sign of any nerves from Huddersfield right from the off at Selhurst Park, as they pressed the Eagles high and hurried them into mistakes.
Joel Ward's own goal put the Terriers into a 23rd-minute lead, before record signing Steve Mounie headed a second three minutes later - the first goal from a Huddersfield player in over 10 hours of football.
Mounie's second 12 minutes from time made sure of the comprehensive win, and Wagner believes while his high pressing approach paid dividends, his side's ruthlessness in front of goal helped earn them the three points.
"It wasn't bad, was it? Wagner told Sky Sports. "We started quite well. We created a great chance which we missed, but then we were very clinical. We created five or six very good opportunities and scored three times.
"And we had Jonas Lossl who was outstanding in goal and in some situations we were lucky.
"We showed the right team spirit, the right togetherness, and we were very aggressive.
"We deserved the win. Maybe the win was too high [sic] when you consider how many chances Crystal Palace had, but we take the three points and continue.
"I have always said that we will only be competitive if we stick to our identity. Everyone knows how strong Crystal Palace's offence is and you have to make sure they are as far away from your goal as possible, so it makes sense to press high. It worked for long periods of the game, and I think that is one of the reasons we have got this result today.
"We showed great determination, even when Palace were having some opportunities. We stuck to our game plan, kept them away from our goal.
"It was a very good start. You cannot moan about it; playing your first Premier League game, your first at this level in 45 years and you win 3-0 against Crystal Palace. I will not moan."
Mounie's man-of-the-match display earned special recognition from Wagner.
"It cannot be a better day for a new striker in the Premier League," Wagner added. "He scored two goals and could have had three. He actually missed the easiest chance of the three. That is why we bought him - to score goals."
