Liverpool end winless run as Isak punishes Ipswich in fast start

Liverpool had not led at any point this season before arriving in Suffolk, but they made sure that changed almost immediately. From the opening whistle, Iraola’s side looked determined to play with more urgency, more aggression and far more cutting edge than they had shown in their opening draws.

Match highlight

Cody Gakpo played a major role. After seeing a deadline-day move away from Liverpool collapse, the Dutch winger looked fully focused. In the 6th minute, he slipped a clever pass through to Isak, who powered a finish into the near corner to give Liverpool the lead.

Gakpo delivered a brilliant outside-of-the-foot pass into Isak’s path, and the Sweden international beat Jacob Greaves before finishing past Kjell Scherpen to make it 2-0.

It was the fastest double by a Liverpool player in the Premier League since 2011, and it left Ipswich facing an enormous task before the match had even settled.

Dominik Szoboszlai then tested Scherpen with a fierce strike from the edge of the box, one of 3 saves the Ipswich goalkeeper had to make before the break.

Ipswich did produce a late first-half response. Leif Davis, fresh from scoring at Old Trafford last week, got free at the far post but sent his header wide when he should have done better.

Isak thought he had completed a first-half hat-trick after Florian Wirtz found him with a perfectly weighted pass, but the goal was ruled out for a tight offside decision.

Liverpool nearly restarted just as sharply after the interval. Alexis Mac Allister had a huge chance from Szoboszlai’s corner, but his header lacked power and went straight at Scherpen.

There was also a controversial moment involving Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet. He was booked harshly, then appeared to make a heavy challenge on Emersonn moments later, but referee Darren England did not even award Ipswich a free-kick.

Isak could not find his hat-trick and was taken off shortly after the hour mark, but his departure brought a major moment of excitement for the travelling support.

New signing Bradley Barcola came on and immediately got fans out of their seats with a sharp, twisting run, offering an early glimpse of the pace and flair Liverpool hope he can add.

VAR later appeared ready to award Liverpool a penalty after Szoboszlai was fouled inside the box, only for the Hungarian to be ruled offside earlier in the move.

That gave Ipswich a small escape, but they could not build anything meaningful from it. Jack Clarke did force Alisson Becker into a brief moment of concern when his deflected effort changed direction, yet the home side never truly looked like overturning the result.

The victory ends Liverpool’s 6-match winless run and extends their unbeaten record against promoted Premier League sides to 21 games, with 16 wins and 5 draws.

For Ipswich, the early optimism from their opening win over Sunderland has disappeared quickly. They have now lost their last 2 matches by an aggregate score of 7-2, and their 21-match home unbeaten run has come to an end.