Huddersfield lead 1-0 via Danny Ward’s goal at half-time, Terriers skipper James Vaughan having missed his second Portman Road penalty in two years earlier in the period.
Mick McCarthy made two changes to the team which beat Blackburn 3-1 on Tuesday with Ryan Tunnicliffe and Daryl Murphy returning in place of Stephen Hunt and Carlos Edwards as he switched his side to a 4-3-3 formation with David McGoldrick behind Murphy and Frank Nouble.
Huddersfield, who switched to 4-4-2 from their more usual 3-5-2 system, left former Blue Jon Stead out of their 18.
After a minute’s applause celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, Town kicked off facing the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.
Blues right-back Luke Chambers hit the first shot of the game across the face of goal in the fourth minute, then a minute later Hyam sent Murphy away down the left but his low cross towards Nouble was cut out.
There was danger at the other end soon afterwards when former Canary James Vaughan seized on a poor Chambers backpass but Gerken was out quickly to clear with his feet.
However, it was the Blues who were looking more threatening in the early stages. On seven McGoldrick headed a Cresswell cross from the right just wide after a corner had been played back out to the left-back by Tunnicliffe.
Four minutes later, the Terriers probably should have gone ahead but Vaughan directed his header past Gerken’s post from Clayton’s freekick on the right.
On 15 Murphy sent Nouble away down the left but no one else had got far enough forward to take advantage of his cross.
McGoldrick hit a 20-yard shot into Huddersfield keeper Alex Smithies’s arms on 16, then a minute later Murphy cut in front the right and hit a low effort which Smithies claimed.
The Irishman ought to have put the Blues in front a minute later when he chased down a Cresswell long ball, out-muscled Paul Dixon before taking the ball into the area. Murphy should have shot but turned inside the defender and his touch allowed the keeper to claim.
Huddersfield midfielder Oliver Norwood shot over from 25 yards on 21, then Gerken parried Danny Ward’s shot from a tight angle on the left.
The visitors were handed a golden opportunity to go in front in the 24th minute when referee Gary Sutton awarded them a very debatable penalty.
Town’s Tommy Smith headed a cross from the left into the air and as Christophe Berra waited for the ball to drop Vaughan ran into him and was knocked over. If it was a foul at all a Town freekick seemed a more likely outcome but it just seemed to be an accidental collision as two players went for the ball.
Vaughan took the kick himself, taking a pause in his run-up before he hit a low effort to Gerken’s left which, fortunately for the Blues, the keeper got down well to claim. It was Vaughan’s second penalty miss at Portman Road in two seasons, Scott Loach having saved from the spot in last season’s corresponding fixture.
McGoldrick shot wide for the Blues with the Terriers now having most of the possession but with the Blues looking dangerous whenever they broke forward.
But on 34 the visitors went in front. Adam Hammill brought the ball in from the left along the byline before cutting it back to Vaughan, who stabbed it back into Ward’s path and he slammed home from 12 yards.
Skuse shot not far over from 30 yards in the 39th minute but overall Huddersfield had been on top since the goal with too many Town passes going astray, particularly in the final third.
The Terriers were close to adding to their lead in the 43rd minute when Hammill, who played for Blues boss McCarthy at Wolves, unleashed a fearsome strike from 25 yards on the left but the ball cannoned off the underside of the bar before being cleared.
Town almost levelled as the fourth official’s board went up to signal one minute of injury time. After Huddersfield had uncharacteristically given the ball away, Nouble brought it forward before feeding McGoldrick. The Blues top scorer tricked his way past a defender and into the area but shot wide.
However, the goal would have flattered the Blues at that stage with the visitors deserving their half-time lead.
Town started the stronger of the two sides, but failed to make the most of their early opportunities. The Terriers got on top and having missed the very generous penalty deserved their goal when it came.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Skuse, Hyam, Tunnicliffe, Murphy, McGoldrick, Nouble. Subs: Loach, Mings, Tabb, Hunt, Anderson, Edwards, Graham.
Huddersfield: Smithies; Lynch, Gerrard, Smith; Dixon, Norwood, Hogg, Clayton, Hammill; Ward, Vaughan (c). Subs: Bennett, Woods, Scannell, Gobern, Wallace, Holmes, Bunn. Referee: Gary Sutton (Lincolnshire). Att: