Liverpool Dominates Ipswich for First Premier League Win

IPSWICH, England — Liverpool did not ease their new era in. They kicked the door down.

Alexander Isak struck twice inside nine frantic minutes and Andoni Iraola finally had his first Premier League win, a sharp 2-0 victory at promoted Ipswich on Friday that felt settled almost before it had begun.

Liverpool had stumbled into the season with back‑to‑back 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, flashes of attacking promise undone by loose edges. At Portman Road, those edges looked a lot sharper.

The tone was set from kickoff. Liverpool moved the ball with purpose, Cody Gakpo drifting into pockets and Ipswich struggling to get close. The breakthrough came in the sixth minute, and it was ruthless.

Gakpo slipped a pass into the right side of the area, where Isak had peeled away. The Sweden international needed only a touch and a thump, his fierce strike smashing against goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen and spinning over the line. Early nerves for Ipswich. Early relief for Iraola.

The second goal arrived almost before the home crowd had processed the first.

Three minutes later, Gakpo again found Isak, this time with a touch of swagger. Using the outside of his boot, the Dutchman bent a long, arcing ball in behind the Ipswich back line, perfectly weighted for Isak’s run. One defender beaten by the movement, another by the composure: Isak shifted feet, opened his body and drilled his finish home. Two chances, two goals, and Liverpool were cruising.

Ipswich, back in the top flight after promotion last season, tried to respond. They pushed higher, looked to test Liverpool’s back line, and at least stemmed the tide after that brutal opening spell. But the damage was done. The hosts never truly dragged Liverpool into a contest on their own terms.

Second Half

The second half brought a different kind of intrigue for the visitors. On 63 minutes, Bradley Barcola stepped off the bench for his first taste of English football in a Liverpool shirt. Signed from Paris Saint-Germain on Monday in a deal worth 123 million pounds ($166 million), the 21-year-old arrived as one of the headline transfers of the window. Here, he was asked simply to slot into a team already in control and help see the job through.

He did just that, offering energy and width as Liverpool managed the game and Ipswich chased shadows more often than clear chances. The newly promoted side leaves this early-season run with one win and two defeats, a reminder of how unforgiving the division can be.

For Iraola, though, this night was about something else entirely: a first league victory, a statement performance from Isak, and a sense that Liverpool’s new project has finally taken its first real step.