Premier League match report: Ipswich Town 0-2 Liverpool

The Blues stood toe-to-toe with Arne Slot's men in the first half, registering two shots on target while the visitors struggled to create much of note. In the end, the Reds showed their quality as Town began to tire, with Jota and Salah on target midway through the second half.

The opening two minutes were played at a fast pace as Ipswich got to grips with facing one of the strongest teams in Europe. Jacob Greaves flew in with a ferocious tackle on Dominik Szoboszlai, winning the ball, before Omari Hutchinson pounced as Virgil van Dijk gave it away in the final third - although his shot was blocked by Jarell Quansah.

Wes Burns battled hard against Andy Robertson in the first half (Image: Ross Halls)

A sloppy pass saw Wes Burns break down the right, where he went down under pressure from Andy Roberston. Referee Tim Robinson waved play on but Town couldn’t sustain the pressure as the Welshman’s cross to Leif Davis ran out of play.

A tussle between Luke Woolfenden and Jota saw the former receive Ipswich’s first booking of the season, but the resulting set piece was quickly stopped after a foul on Greaves.

Greaves was the clear stand-out in the early stages, clearing a corner from Robertson that started a quick counterattack in the 10th minute. Hutchinson looked to play Conor Chaplin through down the left but he just overhit his pass.

Omari Hutchinson had two good chances to give Town the lead before the break (Image: Ross Halls)

Ipswich maintained their pressure. A sensational ball over the top from Sam Morsy picked out Liam Delap, whose first touch allowed him to bring it into the box before being dispossessed. Ryan Gravenberch looked to carry it away before being hacked down by Hutchinson, who joined Woolfenden in the book.

Greaves was involved once again, this time in the final third. A foul from Robertson on Burns gave Morsy a chance to whip a free-kick into the box. The towering centre-back leapt highest to meet the delivery, but Alisson got down low to hold the first shot on target of the game.

The Blues became frustrated by certain decisions that went against them, with Burns picking up the third booking of the game for a slight touch on Alexis Mac Allister. They felt that Axel Tuanzebe had done enough to draw a foul from Jota in the box, but the referee opted to award a corner instead, which Walton was able to pluck straight out of the air.

Leif Davis was tasked with marking Mohamed Salah at Portman Road (Image: Ross Halls)

A succession of corners saw Liverpool threaten, but Ipswich launched a counter on the half-hour mark as Chaplin won a battle with Mac Allister. Delap picked up the ball and played Hutchinson through on goal, who looked like he just managed to stay onside. However, he hesitated too much in front of goal, cutting in and curling a low shot into the gloves of Allison.

As the clock ticked towards half time, the Reds tried to turn the screw. Jota’s pass towards Diaz looked like it would be intercepted by Woolfenden, but it bobbled through him and landed at the feet of the Colombian international, who was beaten by a brave save from Christian Walton, receiving a boot to the head and a standing ovation as a result.

Ipswich had one big chance to threaten before the break, winning a free-kick on the far left side. Davis played it low to Chaplin, who made the run but saw his strike blocked by Quansah. The ball landed back out to Davis, who whipped it back into the box for Tuanzebe to head onto the roof of the net.

Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo both made their Premier League debuts against the Reds (Image: Ross Halls)

In the 43rd minute, a goal kick from Walton allowed Delap to beat Quansah with a sumptuous first touch, cutting inside and racing into the box. His strike was blocked for a corner, which Liverpool ultimately managed to clear.

The challenge for Ipswich was always going to be whether they could maintain their intensity throughout the 90 minutes, especially with Liverpool's options on the bench.

Concerns were raised early in the half as Burns pulled up chasing a lobbed ball, forcing him to come off the pitch and receive treatment. Ben Johnson was called to be introduced, but the winger perservered.

Diogo Jota put the visitors ahead in the second half (Image: PA)

The first VAR check in Town's history took place within 10 minutes of the restart as Van Dijk pulled Delap to the ground inside the box. However, it was Davis who was flagged for offside in the build-up, meaning that no further checks took place. Johnson replaced Burns seconds later.

Liverpool's top-end Premier League quality shone through on the hour-mark as Alexander-Arnold played Salah down the right. The Egyptian rushed into space and squared for Jota, who calmly fired past Walton on the hour-mark to open the scoring.

Kieran McKenna rolled the dice in the 64th minute by introducing Jack Taylor and Marcus Harness for their Premier League debuts. However, the Reds doubled their lead just a few seconds later as Salah picked up a cross-field ball before playing a quick one-two with Szoboszlai and firing into the net.

Salah doubled the lead on his 350th Liverpool appearance (Image: PA)

Further changes for Ipswich followed. Sammie Szmodics was introduced to make his debut for the club and in the Premier League, while Ali Al-Hamadi became the first Iraqi to play in the English top flight.

Morsy's ball over the up found Al-Hamadi in the 80th minute, allowing him to take aim and test Alisson. The goalkeeper made a good save before the flag was eventually raised for offside.

The match fizzled out in the latter stages as a defiant chant of 'We've got super Kieran McKenna' rung out around Portman Road. Town will face easier challenges in the Premier League this season, although next weekend's trip to reigning champions Manchester City won't be one of them.

Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Walton; Tuanzebe (Szmodics 74'), Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo (Taylor 65’); Burns (Johnson 57'), Chaplin (Harness 65'), Hutchinson; Delap (Al-Hamadi 74')

Liverpool XI: 4-2-3-1: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Bradley 74'), Quansah (Konate 46'), Van Dijk, Roberston (Tsimikas 79'); Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota (Gakpo 78')

Attendance: 30,014 (3,000 away)