Ipswich 0 Liverpool 2. Isak brace. First 3 points in the bag

Ipswich 0-2 Liverpool: Isak Strikes Twice as the Reds Finally Get Their Win

Liverpool finally have their first win of the Andoni Iraola era, and while this wasn’t 90 minutes of champagne football, there was plenty here to be happy about.

Two goals. Three points. A clean sheet.

And Alexander Isak doing Alexander Isak things.

After two frustrating 2-2 draws to start the season, this felt like a game Liverpool simply needed to win. Going away to Portman Road under the Friday-night lights was never going to be completely straightforward, but Liverpool made life considerably easier for themselves by basically killing the game inside nine minutes.

Isak Wasted Absolutely No Time

Six minutes.

That was all Isak needed.

Cody Gakpo found him with a lovely pass and Isak did what you want your No.9 to do: get the shot away early, hit it with conviction and make the goalkeeper deal with it.

He couldn’t.

1-0.

Three minutes later, Liverpool did it again.

Gakpo found Isak for the second time and this finish was even calmer. Ipswich were suddenly 2-0 down before they’d really had a chance to settle into the match.

And honestly, this is why you have a striker like Isak.

Liverpool haven’t always needed more possession or another 15-pass sequence around the penalty area. Sometimes you need somebody who sees the goal and thinks one thing:

I’m scoring.

Isak even had the ball in the net again later in the first half, only for the flag to deny him the hat-trick.

The signs are very encouraging.

Can We Talk About Cody Gakpo?

Isak gets the goals, obviously, but Gakpo deserves a massive amount of credit.

Two assists inside nine minutes.

More importantly, both showed exactly what he can give this Liverpool side when he’s allowed to get involved closer to goal rather than simply being asked to stand wide and beat his full-back repeatedly.

There is a really interesting partnership developing between Gakpo and Isak.

Isak’s movement gives Gakpo somebody to find. Gakpo’s passing gives Isak the service he wants.

Simple.

And potentially devastating.

If Iraola can continue getting Gakpo into those positions, we might see a very different version of him this season.

Araujo Looked Right at Home

Another positive was Ronald Araujo.

Coming into a new league is one thing. Coming into the Premier League and immediately being asked to deal with the physical side of an away game is another.

He looked comfortable.

Strong in the challenge, aggressive when he needed to be and, importantly, he gave Liverpool some defensive security.

There will be much tougher tests than Ipswich, of course, but this was a promising start.

Liverpool have conceded too many cheap goals already this season. Sometimes you don’t need your defenders to produce something spectacular.

Just win the duel.

Clear the ball.

Kill the danger.

Araujo did plenty of that.

Then Liverpool Took Their Foot Off the Gas

This is probably my biggest criticism.

At 2-0 after nine minutes, I genuinely thought Liverpool might go and score four or five.

They didn’t.

The intensity dropped, Ipswich gradually got themselves back into the contest and the second half became much more about managing the result than extending the lead.

Maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Liverpool’s first two league matches finished 2-2. So after twice failing to properly control games, perhaps there is something encouraging about seeing this team protect a lead and leave with a clean sheet.

But I still wanted more.

There were periods where Liverpool became too passive and allowed Ipswich to believe that one goal could change the atmosphere completely.

Against better opposition, you can’t always afford that.

Welcome to Liverpool, Bradley Barcola

And then came the moment plenty of us were waiting for.

Bradley Barcola made his Liverpool debut.

We’re obviously not going to judge him from roughly half an hour of football in a game Liverpool were already trying to control rather than chase, but you could immediately see the profile.

Pace.

Directness.

That willingness to attack space.

The really exciting question is how Iraola fits all these attacking pieces together.

Isak.

Gakpo.

Wirtz.

Muñoz.

Barcola.

There is serious talent there.

Now it’s about finding the combinations that turn that talent into a functioning attack.

The Clean Sheet Matters

Maybe this isn’t the glamorous talking point, but Liverpool keeping Ipswich out might be just as important as Isak scoring twice.

The first two games produced four goals scored and four conceded.

Entertaining?

Sure.

Sustainable?

Absolutely not.

This was different.

Liverpool weren’t perfect defensively, and Ipswich had moments, but when the game became scrappy the Reds managed it rather than throwing the door open.

That’s progress.

And for a manager still trying to put his ideas into this team, sometimes a boring 20 minutes protecting a 2-0 lead is exactly what you need.

Final Thoughts

Was it perfect?

No.

Was it Liverpool at their devastating best for 90 minutes?

Definitely not.

But this was much closer to what I wanted to see.

Liverpool came out aggressively, punished Ipswich immediately and then showed enough maturity to make sure the game never truly got away from them.

Most importantly, Isak looked like a striker ready to be the focal point of this attack.

Two goals.

Gakpo with two assists.

Araujo impressing.

Barcola making his debut.

A clean sheet.

And Iraola finally has his first Liverpool win.

There are tougher tests coming, and Liverpool still have plenty to improve.

But the season finally feels like it has started.

My Man of the Match: Cody Gakpo.

Isak scored the goals and you could easily give it to him, but Gakpo was the player who made those decisive opening minutes happen.

If this is the Gakpo we’re getting this season, Liverpool have another serious weapon on their hands.

Final score: Ipswich Town 0-2 Liverpool.

Three points.

Clean sheet.

Job done.

Now build on it.