Arne Slot obtained off to a successful begin at Liverpool because the Reds kicked off their 2024/25 Premier League marketing campaign with a 2-0 victory over promoted Ipswich City.
Ipswich impressed in flashes of their first Premier League match since 2002, however Liverpool in the end had an excessive amount of because the Slot period started with a snug triumph at Portman Street.
Liverpool’s objectives got here in fast succession, Diogo Jota opening the scoring on the hour with a composed close-range end.
Having equipped the help for the opener, Mohamed Salah then obtained in on the act himself within the sixty fifth minute, and Slot’s facet confirmed no signal of slipping up from there.
Liverpool host Brentford subsequent weekend, whereas Ipswich have one other robust job towards champions Manchester Metropolis.
How the match unfolded
Jacob Greaves and Omari Hutchinson examined Alisson in Ipswich’s finest openings of a stop-start first half, although a slack go from Luke Woolfenden nearly gifted Liverpool the lead – Christian Walton smothering the hazard forward of Luis Diaz.
Virgil van Dijk’s clumsy problem on Liam Delap had Ipswich up in arms shortly after the restart, however the offside flag got here to Liverpool’s rescue, with VAR confirming the assistant referee’s name.
However after that warning, Liverpool picked up the tempo. Diaz skied over from shut vary, whereas Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister noticed goalbound strikes blocked by Greaves and Woolfenden respectively, earlier than Jota headed large from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s supply.
However Jota made no mistake from his subsequent likelihood, coolly side-footing residence after Salah had obtained in behind Leif Davis.
It was quickly 2-0, with Salah poking past Walton from the sting of the six-yard field after slick mixture play with Szoboszlai, and a comeback proved out of Ipswich’s attain.
Slot off to a powerful begin
Not since Gerard Houllier in 1998 had a Liverpool supervisor received their first Premier League match in cost, however Slot ensured that run didn’t proceed.
He has enormous footwear to fill within the wake of Jurgen Klopp’s departure, however the Dutchman shall be pleased with what he noticed from his staff within the second half.
Liverpool couldn’t get into their groove earlier than then, albeit whereas limiting Ipswich to little in the way in which of clear-cut probabilities, however they got here into their very own after the interval.
Salah, who was on the fringes of issues out on the fitting flank within the opening 45 minutes, was integral, calmly laying it on a plate for Jota earlier than he confirmed his medical nature in entrance of purpose to double the Reds’ tally. That was his ninth strike in a gap recreation of a Premier League season, a contest report.
There will definitely be some teething points for Slot, whose staff went near a 3rd late on by means of substitute Conor Bradley, however with such a depth of attacking firepower at Liverpool’s disposal, that high quality can buy the previous Feyenoord coach time to get his method to click on.
Encouraging indicators for Ipswich
Pop famous person and minority Ipswich shareholder Ed Sheeran was available to soak up the primary half at Portman Street, and he can have been impressed with what he noticed from Kieran McKenna’s males by the point he headed off on the interval – work commitments that means he couldn’t view the second half in particular person.
Ipswich definitely gave account of themselves previous to the break. They hassled and harried in midfield, sticking to their recreation plan and aiming to pounce on the counter when alternatives did come their means.
Certainly, had Hutchinson been capable of generate extra buy and energy on his try, which got here on the finish of a future, then maybe he would have been capable of beat Alisson.
But final season’s shock package deal within the Championship have been, in the long run, taught that within the blink of an eye fixed, the very best groups the Premier League has to supply can all however settle contests, and that’s simply what Liverpool did.
With Man Metropolis subsequent up, life doesn’t get any simpler for the Tractor Boys, however that is the duty forward of them within the large time.
Membership studies
Ipswich report | Liverpool report
What the managers stated
Kieran McKenna: “I assumed we have been the extra dominant staff within the first half.”
Arne Slot: “The primary style [of Premier League football] within the first half was possibly as anticipated as a result of they have been all on prime of us, very aggressive. Second half was a pleasure to observe.”
Subsequent Premier League fixtures
Key info
Liverpool at the moment are unbeaten of their final 12 opening matches within the Premier League (W9 D3), since a 3-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in 2012-13 underneath Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has now each scored and assisted in 32 totally different Premier League video games, with solely Wayne Rooney (36) doing so extra within the competitors’s historical past.
In his 350th look for Liverpool in all competitions, Mohamed Salah registered his three hundredth purpose involvement for the membership (212 objectives, 88 assists).
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is now the outright chief for Premier League objectives (9) and purpose involvements (14 – additionally 5 assists) on MD1 within the competitors.