Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town on September 4, 2026, at Portman Road, with Alexander Isak scoring twice in the opening nine minutes. The win marks manager Andoni Iraola’s first victory of the Premier League campaign, lifting the visitors to fifth in the table with five points from their three matches. Ipswich Town are in 13th place with three points from the same number of games.
Expectations surrounded Liverpool’s trip to Suffolk following a stuttering start to the campaign that featured a pair of 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. Instead of a hard-fought contest, the match was effectively decided within the opening ten minutes as a clinical visiting side capitalized on a sluggish start from the promoted hosts. Gary O’Neil fell to his first home defeat as Town boss and recorded successive defeats in the Premier League, following last weekend’s 5-2 defeat at Old Trafford.
Alexander Isak Strikes Early to Set the Tone
The breakthrough arrived inside six minutes when Cody Gakpo fed the Swede with a sweet pass following some quick passing from an Ipswich turnover. Alexander Isak collected the ball and powerfully struck through the unconvincing gloves of Kjell Scherpen at the near post. Just three minutes later, the striker struck again. Gakpo released the Reds’ number nine with a sublime outside-the-boot ball in behind, allowing the forward to twist past Jacob Greaves and slide a shot home with his left foot with Scherpen way out of position.
Those quickfire goals set the tone for a workmanlike display where Liverpool never looked ruffled, though they also showed little in the way of attacking threat themselves in the second half, managing just a single shot on target after the break. Isak nearly added a third just past the half-hour mark when he pinned defenders in the box, but that finish was ruled out for offside. The visitors maintained a clean sheet for the first time this campaign, weathering brief moments of pressure while Dominik Szoboszlai twice tested the goalkeeper. Liverpool thought they should have had a penalty in the second half when Leif Davis caught Dominik Szoboszlai, and VAR advised the referee to take another look at it, but eventually no penalty was awarded with the Hungarian found to be just offside in the build-up.
Cody Gakpo Delivers and Bradley Barcola Debuts
The performance underscored the value of Cody Gakpo, who was the subject of a transfer bid by Manchester City this week. His two assists justified his importance to the team, with captain Virgil van Dijk stating: I said before the transfer window closed that he (Gakpo) is important for us and will be this season. He showed it today again.
It was a good performance, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told SkySports. We were more direct in the beginning, which is what we wanted. Two great balls from Cody, who was outstanding. A good win and on to the next.
As the second half unfolded, Liverpool introduced squad reinforcements. New signing Bradley Barcola, signed from Paris Saint-Germain late in the transfer window, made his debut off the bench in the 64th minute. Ipswich Town’s official line-up featured Kjell Scherpen, Jacob Greaves, Issa Diop, Dara O’Shea, Leif Davis, Sasa Lukic, Exequiel Palacios, Fatawu Issahaku, Emersonn, Daizen Maeda, and Julio Enciso.
Table Position and What Lies Ahead
The 2-0 scoreline moves Liverpool up to fifth in the table with five points from three matches, while Ipswich Town is in 13th place with three points from the same number of games. Ipswich Town return to action with a trip to the capital to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park next Saturday afternoon. The early double from Isak—who previously bagged his only Premier League hat-trick at Portman Road for Newcastle United two years ago, bringing his tally to six goals in three matches against the Blues—proved insurmountable as Liverpool secured their first three points under their new manager.
