Alexander Isak scored twice within the opening nine minutes as Liverpool breezed to a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The early double was enough to take the game away from the Blues, with Gary O’Neil falling to his first home defeat as Town boss and recording successive defeats in the Premier League.
Familiar foe Isak’s second and third goals of the campaign got Liverpool up and running for the season, marking new boss Andoni Iraola’s first victory since taking over at Anfield.
Ipswich Town manager Gary O'Neil. Picture: Phil Ham
Ipswich Town manager Gary O'Neil. Picture: Phil Ham
The Blues never looked like getting back into the game following his quickfire brace, leaving O’Neil’s side on three points from their opening three top-flight matches.
They return to action with a trip to the capital to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park next Saturday afternoon.
IMPRESSIVE ISAK
Town were given a warm welcome back to the Premier League with last weekend’s 5-2 defeat at Old Trafford, a match that began with much promise before being swept away in the second half.
From the outset against Liverpool, the gap in quality was evident and Portman Road was soon the stage again for an episode of the Isak show.
His opener came after six minutes, powerfully striking through the unconvincing gloves of Kjell Scherpen at the near post after Cody Gakpo fed the Swede with a sweet pass.
Isak’s productive evening continued three minutes later as the same duo combined, this time Gakpo releasing the Reds’ number nine with a sublime outside-the-boot ball in behind.
From there, Isak twisted past Jacob Greaves and slotted under the goalkeeper to give Liverpool a two-goal cushion inside only nine minutes of play.
The visitors’ talisman — after bagging his only Premier League hat-trick at Portman Road for Newcastle United two years ago — has now scored six goals in three matches against the Blues.
Liverpool, having not previously led in any game this season, continued to have the early chances as Dominik Szoboszlai twice tested Scherpen from long range after Town gave the ball away during a rare moment of possession inside their own half.
Jérémy Jacquet snuffed out any Town danger from Emersonn inside the box before Ronald Araújo was alert to clear the subsequent threat after Julio Enciso burst down the right.
Not settling for two, Isak was denied another Portman Road hat-trick by the offside flag after 33 minutes, when he just mistimed his run into the box from Florian Wirtz’s pinpoint low cross.
Liverpool were well on their way to preserving their 40-year unbeaten run in the blue corner of East Anglia.
DOUBLE DEBUT
Within two minutes of the restart, Alexis Mac Allister should have put the game to bed, but his free header from Szoboszlai’s corner was nodded straight down into the grateful arms of Scherpen.
Enciso curled straight at Alisson on the hour mark as Town never looked like causing a significant threat, before Liverpool opted to introduce one of their newest danger men for the first time.
The Reds unleashed Bradley Barcola, who joined earlier this week for a nine-figure fee from back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain, while two-goal star Isak was withdrawn by Iraola.
Moments later, the Blues gave a debut of their own to new centre-forward Zian Flemming, who arrived from Burnley in the final knockings of the transfer window on Tuesday.
With 68 minutes on the clock, Town were fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty kick when VAR had a look at a challenge from Leif Davis on Szoboszlai.
While agreeing the kick to the leg was a foul, the Hungarian was deemed to have strayed into an offside position as referee Darren England explained the decision to the watching world.
The Suffolk side had not created a clear-cut chance and went closest with four minutes remaining, but Issa Diop blocked Jack Clarke’s strike after the defender had done well to intercept and prevent a Liverpool counter-attack.
Town went on to be beaten on their own turf for the first time since October 2025 — but certainly faced their most destructive opponent during that 20-game run.
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Scherpen; O’Shea (c), Diop, Greaves, Davis; Lukić, Palacios (Ouattara 79); Fatawu (McAteer 79), Enciso, Maeda (Clarke 66); Emersonn (Flemming 66). Subs: Walton, Furlong, Kipré, Florentino, Núñez.
Booked: Enciso.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Araújo, Jacquet, van Dijk (c), Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister (Nyoni 84); Muñoz (Barcola 64), Wirtz (Koumas 90), Gakpo; Isak (Gravenberch 64). Subs: Mamardashvili, Endo, Tsimikas, Frimpong, Ngumoha.
Booked: Mac Allister, Jacquet, Kerkez.
Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire).
Attendance: 30,019