“ TOOTHLESS TERRIERS / LAME BLUEBIRDS “
Huddersfield Town 0-0 Cardiff City
By Mike Henson
BBC Sport
Jonathan Hogg's sending-off - his second in the Premier League - turned the tide in the match
Huddersfield Town held on to claim their first point of the season after Jonathan Hogg had been sent off just over an hour into their meeting with Cardiff.
The hosts had more of the ball in a first half that saw only one shot on target.
But a more lively second half fully ignited as Hogg thrust his forehead towards Harry Arter following a corner and was shown a red card.
The dismissal signalled the start of a period of heavy Cardiff pressure.
Bluebirds captain Sean Morrison headed into the hoardings from six yards before substitute Bobby Reid's glancing effort drifted narrowly wide as the breakthrough refused to arrive for the visitors.
Laurent Depoitre could even have stolen all three points at the end for Huddersfield, with Sol Bamba doing just enough to deny the Belgian a clear sight of goal at the end of a swift counter-attack.
Both sets of players slumped to the turf at the final whistle, exhausted and frustrated at failing to take three points against opposition who may well be rivals in the fight against relegation come May.
Going the whole Hogg
Harry Arter and Jonathan Hogg
Arter (left) saw yellow for his part in the incident
Huddersfield had 72% possession before Hogg's sending-off and just 30% in the wake of his red card.
It was the pivotal point in the game, with the midfielder needlessly putting himself at the mercy of referee Michael Oliver's discretion.
The Terriers' captain's tussle with Arter at a corner seemed initially innocuous, with Cardiff's summer signing appealing half-heartedly for a penalty as they jostled for position.
But Hogg reacted angrily as Arter regained his feet after the corner had been cleared and, as the pair exchanged words, pushed him back to the floor with a combination of a headbutt and a shove.
After picking up nine yellow cards and a red last season, it was an early and almost costly blemish on his record for this season.
Toothless Terriers, tame Bluebirds
Steve Mounie scored seven Premier League goals last season after his £11.5m move from Montpellier
It may be a lack of attacking quality that limits both sides this season.
Cardiff had failed to hit the target despite taking 23 shots in their opening two Premier League games. Huddersfield, meanwhile, had scored only once in their previous seven matches at the John Smith's Stadium despite a total of 98 efforts.
For most of the match, with the two sides both still with 11 players, that trend continued.
The willing Steve Mounie brought a good save out of Neil Etheridge with a header but, as the hosts' lone striker, he was often short of support and supply.
Kenneth Zohore was a less obvious presence in the Cardiff attack before he was replaced by Danny Ward.
Josh Murphy - signed from Norwich for about £11m in the summer - had some bright moments for the visitors, but the wait for his side's first goal back in the top flight continues.
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