Alexander Isak scores twice as Liverpool beat Ipswich 2-0 in Premier League

Alexander Isak scored twice for Liverpool in their 2-0 Premier League win at Ipswich Town, handing Reds manager Andoni Iraola his first win since taking over in the summer.

Sweden international Isak pounced in the sixth and ninth minutes of Friday’s match at Portman Road to ease Liverpool nerves that a third successive winless match may be in the offing.

With his side in cruise control in the second period, Iraola was able to look to the bench to hand a 64th-minute debut to Bradley Barcola, who became the club’s record signing with his summer move from Paris Saint-Germain.

“We needed this win,” Iraola told Sky Sports. “It was also nice to get a clean sheet and control the match.

“The second half was not as good as the first, but we didn’t concede any chances.”

Isak’s first came courtesy of a drilled finish from within the area, having been picked out by Cody Gakpo, that even the glove of Kjell Scherpen in the Ipswich goal could not stop.

The Reds, who drew their first two games of the season, sliced through the home side’s defence with an outside-of-the-foot through-ball from Gakpo that set Isak on his way to dribble past Jacob Greaves before slotting home.

“We were talking about starting the game well. It was perfect for us to get those two quick goals,” Isak told Sky Sports.

“We are starting to get to the way we want to play. We want to be offensive. We could have scored more.”

Iraola replaced Arne Slot, who was sacked after one season in charge as the Reds’ title defence fell apart in the last campaign. The former Bournemouth manager saw his side stumble in their opening games at Newcastle United and at home to Nottingham Forest.

Ipswich, therefore, represented a serious trip hazard as a promoted side that won their first league game and took the lead in a bright start to their defeat at Old Trafford last week.

It was a dominant display from the Reds throughout, though, with a deserved clean sheet kept at the other end.

“We were more direct, which we wanted, in the start and we scored two great goals,” Liverpool captain and central defender Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports.

Isak had a goal that would have marked his hat-trick ruled out in the first half, while Dominik Szoboszlai thought he had won a penalty to increase the lead in the second period – following a challenge from Leif Davis – but the Liverpool midfielder was ruled offside by VAR.