Ipswich vs Liverpool Review
Alexander Isak dominated as Liverpool secured a 2-0 Premier League victory, handing Ipswich Town their first home loss in 21 games. Isak’s nine-minute brace marked the fastest league brace by a Liverpool player since 2011. Liverpool had not taken the lead all season until this match, but they showed strong intent from the start and went ahead at Portman Road in the sixth minute. Despite a potential transfer falling through late in the window, Cody Gakpo appeared sharp, delivering a precise through ball that Isak confidently finished at the near post.
By the ninth minute, the duo combined again to extend the lead, with Isak skillfully evading Jacob Greaves and slotting the ball past Kjell Scherpen after receiving a clever outside-of-the-boot pass. Dominik Szoboszlai tested Scherpen with a sharp shot from the edge of the penalty area, the first of three such attempts the goalkeeper had to handle before halftime. The home team eventually responded with some attacking pressure, and Leif Davis should have added to his goal from last week at Old Trafford with a header at the far post, but he missed.
However, the Tractor Boys remained consistently exposed defensively, and Isak believed he had secured a first-half hat-trick after a perfectly timed pass from Florian Wirtz, only to be ruled out by a close offside decision. The visitors nearly started the second half strongly as well, with Alexis Mac Allister getting a great opportunity to score from a Szoboszlai corner, but he headed weakly at Scherpen. Andoni Iraola had to endure an unnecessary scare when Jérémy Jacquet received a careless yellow card and then seemed to foul Emersonn shortly after, though referee Darren England did not award a free kick.
Isak missed out on a hat-trick as he was substituted shortly after the 60-minute mark, paving the way for new signing Bradley Barcola to come on. Barcola energized the away fans with an impressive dribbling run soon after entering the match. VAR appeared ready to award a penalty when Szoboszlai was brought down in the box, but the Hungarian was ruled offside during the buildup, keeping Ipswich in the game. However, Ipswich struggled to capitalize on this chance and never really threatened to change the outcome, although a deflected shot from Jack Clarke briefly troubled Alisson Becker.
Liverpool’s win means they have avoided going seven games without a victory for only the second time in their history and extended their unbeaten streak against newly promoted teams to 21 matches (16 wins, 5 draws). After a promising start against Sunderland, Ipswich have now faced a tough reality in the Premier League, losing their last two games by a combined score of 7-2.
