Liverpool’s Premier League season starts with a win, thanks to goals from Jota and Salah. Learn more about their standout performances.
On Saturday, Arne Slot celebrated his Premier League premiere as Liverpool’s manager with a 2-0 triumph over recently promoted Ipswich Town, courtesy of quick-fire goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.
Slot is now responsible for leading Liverpool forward, taking over from Jurgen Klopp. Despite the daunting challenge, he found some reassurance after a dominating second-half performance at Portman Road.
Filled with surge and boosted by back-to-back promotions, Ipswich confidently stepped onto the field for their Premier League return following a hiatus of two decades. In attendance among the crowd was renowned celebrity supporter and co-owner Ed Sheeran who made an exit at halftime to perform in Serbia as part of his concert tour.
At first, Ipswich managed to keep up with Liverpool as they tried several moves such as Omari Hutchinson’s blocked attempt and Jacob Greaves’s header which challenged Alisson Becker. Despite their endeavors, Ipswich couldn’t make the most of these opportunities.
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Despite being the lone Premier League team that hasn’t made any signings during this transfer window, Liverpool demonstrated some early signs of rustiness in their gameplay during the first half. An unimpressive and slow-paced performance left them seeking a spark to ignite their drive towards victory. Fortunately, Slot’s halftime motivational speech transformed them into a more menacing force after resuming play from intermission.
Salah’s curling shot was thwarted by Greaves, preventing Jota from scoring. Liverpool narrowly avoided conceding a penalty when Van Dijk challenged Delap, which was overturned due to an offside in the build-up that was barely discernible.
Luis Diaz failed to seize the perfect moment for Liverpool to take the lead, shooting over from a short distance following an exceptional cooperation between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai. Shortly after, Jota was unable to connect with a header from another excellent cross by Alexander-Arnold when facing an open goal.
At the sixty-minute mark, Liverpool’s determination was rewarded when Alexander-Arnold skillfully passed through Ipswich’s defense to set up Salah for an assist to Jota who made a successful shot. Soon after, Salah sealed his ninth opening weekend goal for Liverpool by exchanging passes with Szoboszlai and finding the net within five minutes.
In the final minutes, Ipswich’s goalie Christian Walton made pivotal saves by stopping Salah and Conor Bradley to maintain a dignified scoreline. However, regrettably their undefeated home streak that had endured for almost 12 months was no more.
The notable disparity in class between the Championship and Premier League was emphasized by this game, which serves as a prompt for Ipswich to acclimatize rapidly. A formidable challenge awaits them next: they come up against reigning champions Manchester City.
In the upcoming weeks, Liverpool has a relatively easy schedule which includes Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Wolves and Crystal Palace. They hope to capitalize on their recent win and gain momentum under Slot before they face Manchester United.
