Liverpool condemn Ipswich Town to opening-day defeat with quickfire second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mo Salah at Portman Road
Liverpool scored two goals in six second-half minutes to condemn Ipswich Town to an opening-day 2-0 defeat on their long-awaited Premier League return and give new head coach Arne Slot a winning start.
But it was very much an encouraging opening 45 minutes, where they arguably shaded it against last season’s third-placed side, that Kieran McKenna’s side will take heart from following their back-to-back promotions to the top tier after a 22-year exile.
Diogo Jota broke the deadlock in Arne Slot’s first competitive game in charge of the Reds on the hour mark after meeting Mo Salah’s pass with a side-foot finish to cap a flowing move.
And within five minutes Town were cut open down the right-hand side once again as Salah expertly controlled Virgil Van Dijk’s crossfield pass before getting into the area via a one-two with Dominik Szoboszlai before executing a curling finish.
The Suffolk side will look back their first-half chances, where the excellent Jacob Greaves and fellow summer signing Omari Hutchinson placed efforts too close to Alisson, to where they could have written a different narrative.
But opportunities in the second period were few and far between as the Merseyside outfit began turning the screw before ultimately showing their class.
The big team news concerning the home side was Christian Walton coming in between the posts for his first league start since the last day of the League One promotion-winning campaign in 2022/23, following an injury to summer signing Aro Muric, thought to only be a slight calf issues. Scotland Under-21 international Cieran Slicker came in on the bench.
Town’s two latest arrivals, England international Kalvin Phillips and Sammie Szmodics were also named on the bench.
McKenna reverted back to his trusted 4-2-3-1 formation, having experimented with a back three against OGC Nice last weekend with Liam Delap leading the line as one of two debutants, along with centre-back Greaves.
Slot had no injury issues going into the game and opted to go with Portugal international Jota as the focal point of his attack, ahead of Darwin Nunez, with Salah and Luis Diaz out wide.
The first notable action, after a thunderous Greaves challenge was greeted by roars from the home crowd, saw Hutchinson pick up a loose pass from Virgil Van Dijk inside two minutes following a throw-in with Jarrell Quansah flying in to block his shot.
McKenna’s side were giving the Reds no time on the ball and Wes Burns soon nicked the ball off the feet of Andy Robertson before going down just outside the area, though referee Tim Robinson saw nothing in it.
As Liverpool began to ask a few questions of their own they were met by Greaves marshalling the defence solidly both on the floor and in the air.
Hutchinson broke dangerously from a visiting corner but ran out of steam with a heavy touch, and the former Chelsea player had his name taken for a sliding challenge on Gravenberch, following an earlier yellow for Luke Woolfenden for shirt pulling.
Liverpool went long over the top to Salah on the quarter-of-an-hour mark but the Egyptian was unable to bring the ball under his spell before another attack was thwarted by a lunging block by Massimo Luongo on Szoboszlai before Walton punched the corner clear.
But it was Town who registered the first effort on target in the 20th minute when Greaves rose well to meet Morsy’s right-sided free kick, though his downward header was too close to Alisson.
There was frustration form the home fans as Burns from-behind toe to nick the ball off Alexis Mac Allister saw him become the third Town booking in the mid-way point of the first half with a series of Liverpool nudges having gone unpunished.
Town came close to the opener in the 32nd minute when Conor Chaplin, who had been quiet, won the ball off Mac Allister on the edge of the Blues box from a corner and fed Delap who sent Hutchinson clear, but his low shot after driving to the edge of the area proved too close to trouble Alisson.
A dangerous counter from Slot’s side saw Jota’s throughball slid back towards his goal by Luke Wooldenden with Walton doing well to race off his line to smother the loose ball at the feet of Diaz.
Axel Tuanzebe had Alisson scrambling back in the 41st minute with a looping header from a Hutchinson cross after Chaplin played the free kick back out to him, but it ended up landing on the roof of the net.
Alexander-Arnold blasted a lay-back from Salah over Walton’s bar following some neat passing just ahead of one minute of added time being signalled which passed without any other notable action as the home fans sounded their appreciation for an encouraging first 45 back in the big time.
It had been a fairly scrappy half where the Blues had arguably shaded things, not letting the Merseyside outfit get into their passing rhythm while posing a threat from set pieces and counter-attacks.
Walton had shown his worth in a couple of moments to divert danger but been largely untroubled with the Reds not registering an effort at goal.
Slot made a change ahead of the second half with Ibrahima Konate replacing Qaunsah in the heart of the defence.
Greaves managed to divert a Salah effort following a corner away from goal before Diaz cut into the area from a Szoboszlai crossfield pass before firing it over the bar as the Reds immediately put the pressure on McKenna’s side.
The first VAR moment at Portman Road arrived in the 54th minute with Town fans screaming for a penalty after Delap was clearly bundled over by Van Dijk running onto a Davis low cross, which had been signalled offside. There were some tense moments while the offside was checked ahead of the penalty call with the former upheld to groans from the crowd.
There was soon drama up the other end as Szoboszlai scooped the ball into the box to find Diaz’s run but he lifted it over the bar from close range with Walton narrowing his view, though it was then signalled as being offside.
Town were forced into a change in the 57th minute as Burns, who had pulled up a while beforehand chasing a ball down the right, was replaced by Johnson.
Liverpool’s pressure continued with Mac Allister’s goalbound shot blocked by Woolfenden before Jota headed wide of the far post from Alexander-Arnold’s cross.
And the Merseyside outfit took the lead on the hour mark. Alexander-Arnold’s pinpoint pass down the right put Salah behind the defence and his perfectly-weighted pass into the area found the run of Jota who applied the finish from eight yards out.
It was met by a thunder of noise from the home support as they tried to rally their side.
McKenna made a double change on 65 with Jack Taylor replacing Luongo and Marcus Harness taking the place of Chaplin.
But within seconds of their entrance Liverpool doubled their advantage as they again opened up the Blues down the right wing. This time, Van Dijk's crossfield ball was well taken on by Salah who played it back to Szoboszlai before getting onto the return ball that was diverted by the boot of Davis ahead of a cool curling finish from the right edge f the six-yard box.
Looking for a quick reply, and very much roared on by the home fans, Hutchinson volleyed over from a head back across goal.
A breakaway up the other end saw the Reds threaten a third when Diaz rounded Walton but the south American was unable to find a team-mate on the pull-back.
Salah saw a low shot held by Walton as Liverpool continued to look like cutting loose.
Ipswich were not out of it though and Harness volleyed over after being picked out all alone from a lofted pass out of the back, but the offside flag was up.
In a bid to give his side some impetus, McKenna brought on Szmodics for his debut, with last season’s Championship top scorer replacing defender Tuanzebe while the hard-working Delap was given a rousing reception ahead of Ali-Al Hamadi becoming the focal point.
Liverpool also soon made a change with Alexander-Arnold making way for Conor Bradley while a matter of minutes later there was a double change as Cody Gakpo and Kostas Tsimikas replaced goalscorer Jota and Robertson.
Morsy found Al-Hamadi with a lovely lofted pass and the Liverpudlian controlled it with an outstretched boot before drawing a low save from Alisson, but the offside flag had gone up.
Eight minutes of additional time were signalled to rouse the home support but it was Liverpool who looked the most threatening with Walton saving from Salah before Harness made a block from Bradley. The Republic of Ireland international was then played in down the inside of the box but Walton turned it away at his near post.
There were ironic cheers a minute later when Gakpo became the first Liverpool player to be booked after a trip on Hutchinson.
In the final minute of the eight, Town earned a corner with Greave seeing a close-range shot blocked from Szmodics’ throughball after Taylor’s shot came back out off a defender.
In the end it was not to be for Town but the home support certainly showed they were more than happy with the effort they had put in against one of the league’s top sides.
It’s the little matter of champions Manchester City at the Etihad up next weekend. Welcome to the Premier League.
• Town boss McKenna sees ‘a lot of positives’
• Blues defender Tuanzebe feels side sent out a message
Ipswich: Walton, Davis, Morsy (cpt), Woolfenden, Burns , Chaplin (Harness 65’), Delap (Al-Hamadi 74’), Hutchinson, Greaves, Luongo (Taylor 65’), Tuanzebe (Szmodics 74’).
Unused subs: Slicker (gk), Phillips, Burgess, Johnson, Townsend.
Booked: Woolfenden (6’), Hutchinson (12’), Burns (25’).
Liverpool: Alisson, Van Dijk (cpt), Diaz, Szoboszlai, MacAllister, Salah, Jota (Gakpo 79’), Robertson (Tsimikas 79’), Gravenberch, Alexander-Arnold (Bradley 77’), Quansah.
Unused subs: Kelleher (gk), Endo, Nunez, Jones, Elliott.
Booked: Gakpo (90+5’).
Attendance: 30,014 (3,000 away).
SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Jacob Greaves. A powerhouse of a display from the new defender from Hull City who looked very much at home in the Premier League following his reported £15 million move. Fellow new recruit Liam Delap also stood out for his hard-working display where he used his body well to hold up the ball and showed a good touch.
