Iraola finally breaks duck as Isak tears Ipswich apart inside nine minutes

Iraola had drawn his opening two matches at Anfield, echoing an uncomfortable start at Bournemouth that took 10 games before a win. Here, Isak put that narrative to bed in ruthless fashion.

Both goals arrived via Cody Gakpo's creativity—first a pass into Isak's stride on six minutes, then a cutback moments later—but Ipswich keeper Kjell Scherpen gifted the Norwegian striker an evening to forget. The first slipped through his palms; on the second, he abandoned his line to a long ball, leaving himself stranded for a low finish.

Isak thought he had a hat-trick before half-time after a cross from Florian Wirtz, yet a tight offside flag denied him. Liverpool's display was controlled: professional, organised, and notably the first clean sheet of Iraola's tenure. The manager withdrew attacking ambitions after the break, introducing £123m debutant Bradley Barcola from the bench.

Ipswich recovered from their nightmare start to mount a competitive display. Referee Darren England faced criticism for not awarding Jérémy Jacquet a second yellow card following a tackle on Emersonn, while VAR correctly overturned a penalty shout for Liverpool when Dominik Szoboszlai was flagged offside in the build-up.

Gary O'Neil's side now face back-to-back defeats, but the Portman Road crowd departed satisfied with their team's second-half resistance, according to Sky Sports.