Alexander Isak scored twice in the opening nine minutes as Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road to give Andoni Iraola his first victory as head coach.
The Sweden international struck in the sixth and ninth minutes, with both goals created by Cody Gakpo, as Liverpool made the most of a shaky display from Ipswich goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen.
Isak opened the scoring with a powerful effort which slipped through Scherpen’s hands after Gakpo had played him into the area. Moments later, the goalkeeper raced from his line to deal with a long ball but was beaten to it by Isak, who calmly found the empty net.
The forward had scored a hat-trick on his previous visit to Portman Road for Newcastle and appeared to have completed another treble before half-time. However, his finish from Florian Wirtz’s cross was ruled out for offside.
Gakpo’s influential start under Iraola continued, while Liverpool produced a disciplined performance after taking control early. Leif Davis headed wide for the hosts in the first half, but Ipswich struggled to create clear opportunities against a well-organised visiting defence.
Bradley Barcola was introduced in the second half for his Liverpool debut following his £123 million move from Paris Saint-Germain. Iraola’s side largely managed the game thereafter, limiting their attacking risk while protecting their advantage.
There was frustration among the home supporters when Jérémy Jacquet escaped a second booking after challenging Emersonn from behind. The Liverpool defender had already been cautioned, but referee Darren England did not award a foul.
Liverpool were also denied the chance to extend their lead from the penalty spot when VAR intervened late on. England initially went to the monitor after Dominik Szoboszlai appeared to have been fouled by Davis, but the decision was overturned after Szoboszlai was judged to have been offside earlier in the move.
The result gives Iraola his first win in charge after Liverpool began the season with consecutive 2-2 draws. It also secured the club’s first clean sheet of his tenure.
