Liverpool kicked off the third game of the Premier League season against Ipswich Town, searching for a win against them.

Story of the Match

Alexander Isak's rapid first-half double sealed a 2-0 win against the Tractor Boys, giving Andoni Iraola his first victory at the third time of asking. After back-to-back draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest that both ended in a 2-2 scoreline, this was a result Liverpool needed to settle nerves.

Making his first start since his summer move on loan, Ronaldo Araujo replaced Jeremie Frimpong at RB, making that the only change in the starting XI that drew Nottingham Forest. The shape stayed familiar with Wirtz operating just behind Isak and Gakpo and Munoz either side of him. New £123m signing Bradley Barcola was named among the substitutes.

Liverpool were moving forward from the kick-off, moving the ball quickly while the game took place almost exclusively in the Ipswich half. Gakpo's pass caused the breakthrough, a threaded ball through to Isak, who fired past Scherpen with his right boot inside six minutes; then the former Newcastle man scored a second just three minutes later with a left-footed strike, with Gakpo the provider again. Isak nearly had a first-half hat-trick, but the goal was ruled out for a narrow offside. Liverpool went into the first-half break two goals up and in full control.

The tempo dipped after the restart. It wasn't as bright as the first, and Ipswich found a few openings; Jacquet and Kerkez both booked, the latter for a wild diving challenge on the halfway line. Iraola then made some substitutions and adjustments after the hour, with Gravenberch replacing Isak while Barcola made his competitive debut, with Munoz making way for him, Gakpo shifting to centre forward and Szobozlai moving to the right of midfield. Ipswich responded with changes of their own, bringing on Clark for Maeda and Flemming for Emersonn.

The next key highlight of the match came when Szobozlai went down in the box under a challenge from Davis, only for VAR to rule he was offside in the build-up and cancel the penalty. Barcola's debut added some spark. He raced down the left and squared to Gakpo, who missed from a promising position. At the other end, Alisson was wrong-footed by a deflected Clarke shot that looped just wide, Ipswich's closest chance at the game

With the game already won, Iraola made a final change to see things out, Koumas replacing Wirtz in the closing moments. Ipswich, desperate for a goal, pushed bodies forward but couldn't force a clear chance and, despite showing promise in the final third all night, they struggled to find the goal to bring them back into the game. The whistle brought quiet satisfaction on the Liverpool bench.

Match Verdict

The man of the match was Alexander Isak, no argument. Two clinical finishes inside the opening 10 minutes, plus a disallowed third, took his tally for the Premier League season to three, matching his entire total from last season. Cody Gakpo deserves plenty of credit too, being the provider for both goals. On the flip side, Kerkez's second-half challenge and Mac Allister's missed header were avoidable lapses. This win gives the unbeaten Reds 5 points in three games, while Ipswich stayed grounded near the bottom after back-to-back losses in the PL. Liverpool next host Fulham, Ipswich travel to Crystal Palace looking to add to their opening-game win of the season.

Player Ratings

Alisson – 6.5

Ronald Araujo – 7

Virgil van Dijk – 8.5

Jérémy Jacquet – 7.5

Milos Kerkez – 5.5

Alexis Mac Allister – 6.5

Dominik Szoboszlai – 7

Víctor Muñoz – 6

Florian Wirtz – 7

Cody Gakpo – 8.5

Alexander Isak – 9

Ryan Gravenberch (sub) – 6

Bradley Barcola (sub) – 7

Trey Nyoni (sub) – 7