Liverpool earned their first Premier League victory under Andoni Iraola as Alexander Isak’s early brace secured a 2-0 triumph over Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
Isak struck twice in the first nine minutes as Liverpool made a rampant start following 2-2 draws with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in the first two Matchweeks.
Cody Gakpo was the provider for both goals, having remained at Anfield beyond the end of the transfer window after rumours of interest from Manchester City, and the offside flag later denied Isak a first half hat-trick.
Having appeared in danger of being blown away early on, Ipswich grew into the contest but never truly troubled Liverpool, who handed former Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola his Premier League debut from the bench in the second half.
Iraola’s men did not need a third goal as they managed the closing stages professionally, and the result lifts them to fifth in the table on five points. Ipswich are two points worse off in 13th, ahead of the weekend’s action.
How the match unfolded
Liverpool did not go in front at any stage in their first two matches, but they only needed six minutes to do so on Friday as Gakpo threaded a wonderful ball into Isak’s path, and Kjell Scherpen was unable to keep the Swede’s thumping finish out.
And Isak did not need long to get his and Liverpool’s second, helped by some suspect goalkeeping from Scherpen.
Another clever Gakpo pass – this one with the outside of his right boot – put Isak up against Jacob Greaves, and with Scherpen advancing off his line, he stroked left-footed past both players and into the net.
Scherpen atoned somewhat by parrying three long-range shots from Dominik Szoboszlai, while the flag kept Liverpool’s lead at 2-0 when Isak tapped Florian Wirtz’s centre home from an offside position.
The Reds should have gone 3-0 up when Alexis Mac Allister headed straight at Scherpen early in the second half, before Ipswich – who had earlier seen Emersonn and Leif Davis pass up their best openings – worked goalkeeper Alisson through Julio Enciso’s curler.
Barcola made his Liverpool bow when he replaced Victor Munoz in the 64th minute, and Szoboszlai had a penalty appeal waved away shortly afterwards as a VAR review found he was offside before being kicked by Davis inside the Ipswich penalty area.
