Ipswich Town 0-2 Liverpool - Half-Time
Friday, 4th Sep 2026 21:00
Early goals from Alexander Isak sees Liverpool lead the Blues 2-0 at half-time at Portman Road.
Exequiel Palacios was handed his full debut and first appearance at his new home ground in what was an otherwise unchanged Town side.
Argentinian World Cup-winning midfielder Palacios came in for Marcelino Nunez, who dropped to the bench alongside new signings Florentino Luis and Zian Flemming, both in the squad for the first time since joining the club. Chuba Akpom and Sindre Walle Egeli missed out.
Liverpool made one change from the team which drew 2-2 at home to Nottingham Forest last week with Ronald Araujo coming in at right-back for his first Premier League start and Jeremie Frimpong moving to the bench, alongside Bradley Barcola, who joined the Reds from PSG for £123 million earlier in the week.
The visitors dominated the early stages but without threatening, before Town began to see some of the ball.
However, in the sixth minute, the Reds took the lead. An Issa Diop pass midway inside the Town half forced Sasa Lukic to move it on quickly to Abdul Fatawu, but the winger lost out to Milos Kerkez on halfway. With Lukic ahead of the ball, Cody Gakpo took it past Palacios, before sweeping to Isak on the right of the box, from where the Swedish international beat Kjell Scherpen down to his left, the Dutchman getting a hand to it but failing to keep it out.
Three minutes later, it was 2-0. Gakpo was again the architect, curling a ball with the outside of his boot into the path of Isak, who had got behind Jacob Greaves and shot low past Scherpen, who had advanced unnecessarily well off his line.
Town looked to hit back after the double blow, Alexis Mac Allister picking up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Julio Enciso on halfway.
Fatawu cut in from the right and shot deep into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand, then wafted a cross into the arms of Alisson in the Liverpool goal.
On 13, Greaves cut back to Enciso on the edge of the box but the Paraguayan’s shot was blocked. A subsequent ball to Greaves in space on the left of the area saw the flag raised for offside against the former Hull City man.
Two minutes later Daizen Maeda’s cross from the left was too close to Alisson, then Enciso, who had very evidently been trying to restore some order and composure to the Blues following the early goals, was teed-up by Palacios not far outside the area but his effort was scuffed through to Alisson.
In the 20th minute, Fatawu gifted the ball to Gakpo midway inside the Town half, the Dutch international moving it on to Dominik Szoboszlai, whose shot was batted away to his right by Scherpen.
Three minutes later, the Hungarian struck another effort which took and deflection and Scherpen saved well.
Town created a decent opening in the 26th minute. Fatawu lofting a cross from the right which reached Leif Davis at the back post. The left-back nodded back to Emersonn, who took it down with his chest but Jeremy Jacquet toed it away for a corner, catching the Brazilian on his knee as he did so.
From the corner, Alisson failed to claim and the ball looked like it might run loose briefly before the keeper was able to grab hold at the second attempt.
In the 29th minute, Scherpen saved from Gakpo but with the flag having been raised for offside.
A minute later, Enciso did well on the right, defenders standing off him before sending over a low ball which Araujo cleared from in front of Maeda with the Japanese international unmarked at the far post.
Soon after, the Blues had their best chance of the half. Fatawu crossed deep from the right to Davis but the left-back’s header was too high.
Mac Allister shot over for Liverpool, who then thought they had extended their lead via Isak’s second Portman Road hat-trick. Town’s right flank had been easily unpicked before Florian Wirtz crossed low to the former Newcastle man, who stroked into the net, but with the flag raised. A VAR check quickly confirmed the linesman was right.
Liverpool coach Tommy Elphick was booked for dissent in the 36th minute, although it was difficult to see precisely what he was complaining about.
Two minutes later, Enciso unleashed one from distance, the ball flying wide of Alisson’s left post.
Scherpen batted away another Szoboszlai strike from distance, the Hungarian largely having the freedom of the centre of the pitch against Town’s expensive but still bedding in new duo. On 41, Enciso was booked for stopping the visitors from taking a free-kick quickly.
Once it was taken, Scherpen saved a Wirtz shot, before the Blues won a couple of corners in quick succession but the Reds were able to deal with them, although having looked more than a little shaky at the back at times.
That was the last action of a half which had got off to a nightmarish start for the Blues, Liverpool scoring twice in the first nine minutes with keeper Scherpen likely to feel he should have done better on both, although with earlier errors in the build-up, symptomatic of a sloppy beginning to the game.
As against Manchester United, Town quickly allowed the opposition to score soon again after conceding, a tendency manager Gary O’Neil will need to address quickly.
From there, the Blues began to get more of a foothold in the game and created one or two openings, Davis’s header the best, but with Scherpen still the busier keeper, Szoboszlai in particular having the freedom of the park at times and the Blues looking very much a side which has only just come together.
Liverpool had shown some shakiness at the back at times, so a Town goal early in the second half could ask one or two questions of the visitors, who otherwise would look on their way to their first win of the season.
Town: Scherpen, O’Shea (c), Diop, Greaves, Davis, Palacios, Lukic, Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda, Emersonn. Subs: Walton, Furlong, Kipre, Ouattara, Florentino, Nunez, McAteer, Clarke, Flemming.
Liverpool: Alisson, Jacquet, Araujo, Van Dijk (c), Kerkez, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Munoz, Isak, Gakpo. Subs: Mamardashvili, Endo, Tsimikas, Barcola, Frimpong, Gravenberch, Nyoni, Koumas, Ngumoha. Referee: Darren England (Doncaster). Assistants: Richard West and Adrian Holmes. Fourth official: Lewis Smith. VAR: Nick Hopton. Assistant VAR: Gary Beswick.
_Photo: Action Images via Reuters_