Alexander Isak scored twice inside the opening nine minutes as Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road to give Andoni Iraola his first Premier League win as Reds boss. Isak opened the scoring after six minutes when Cody Gakpo threaded him through, with the Sweden striker taking a touch before firing past Kjell Scherpen at the near post.Liverpool doubled their advantage just three minutes later through the same combination. Gakpo produced another excellent pass in behind and Isak showed composure inside the area before finishing with his left foot.The result moves Liverpool on from a difficult start to the campaign and gives Iraola an important first victory, while Isak already has three league goals this season, matching his total from the whole of the previous campaign.Table of ContentsIsak double gives Liverpool dream startIpswich improve but Liverpool stay in controlIsak double gives Liverpool dream startLiverpool immediately took control at Portman Road and needed only six minutes to go ahead.Milos Kerkez won possession around halfway and found Gakpo, who moved inside before releasing Isak with a perfectly weighted pass.The striker took the ball in his stride and drove a right-footed effort beyond Scherpen, who managed to get a hand to the shot but could not keep it out.Ipswich barely had time to settle before Isak struck again.Virgil van Dijk found Gakpo on the left and the Netherlands international used the outside of his right boot to send another superb through ball into Isaks path.The Liverpool forward twisted inside the penalty area before sliding a left-footed finish inside the near post to make it 2-0 after just nine minutes.Ipswich responded well and began to find spaces in Liverpools half, with Abdul Fatawu and Julio Enciso particularly involved.Fatawu created an opening for Emersonn midway through the half, but Jeremy Jacquet blocked his effort before it could trouble Alisson.At the other end, Dominik Szoboszlai twice tested Scherpen from distance as Liverpool continued to threaten.Isak thought he had completed his hat-trick in the 33rd minute after converting Florian Wirtzs cross, but the flag went up for offside.Ipswich remained competitive before the break and actually produced the higher first-half expected goals figure, but they lacked the quality required in the final third to make their possession count.Ipswich improve but Liverpool stay in controlLiverpool should have added a third almost immediately after the restart when Szoboszlais corner found Alexis Mac Allister unmarked at the near post.The Argentina midfielder failed to make clean enough contact, though, and his header bounced into Scherpens hands.Ipswich continued to push forward and Enciso tested Alisson after Palacios won possession from Isak, although the goalkeeper recovered after initially spilling the shot.Ipswich also felt Jacquet was fortunate not to receive a second yellow after bringing down Emersonn shortly after his first caution.Iraola made changes after the hour and handed Bradley Barcola his Liverpool debut, with the winger replacing Victor Munoz.Isak was withdrawn at the same time after an impressive display, with Ryan Gravenberch coming on in his place.Liverpool thought they had the chance to make it 3-0 when Szoboszlai went down under a challenge from Leif Davis inside the box, but VAR ruled that the Hungary international had been offside before the contact.From that point, Liverpool largely focused on managing the game rather than searching for another goal. Topics Ipswich Town F.C. Liverpool F.C. Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read WATCH: Isak double puts Liverpool into commanding lead at Ipswich Mitch Fretton 4th September, 2026 LIVE Ipswich v Liverpool: Commentary, updates, goals and stats Jon Fisher 4th September, 2026 Ipswich vs Liverpool: Line-ups confirmed for Friday night football Mitch Fretton 4th September, 2026 Ipswich v Liverpool: Preview, predicted line-ups, stats and where to watch Ben Miller 4th September, 2026 Luis Enrique gives verdict on Barcolas move from PSG to Liverpool Nicholas McGee 4th September, 2026 Liverpool confirm signing of teenager NGuessan Nicholas McGee 4th September, 2026
