Temi Kings
Liverpool earned their first Premier League victory under manager Andoni Iraola on Friday night, delivering a sharp 2-0 performance against Ipswich Town at Portman Road to open Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 campaign. Following consecutive 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, the Reds established ruthless control from the opening kickoff. The decisive damage was inflicted inside a devastating three-minute blitz, led by the lethal combination of Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak.
The deadlock was broken in the 6th minute when Cody Gakpo fizzed a crisp pass into the penalty area, allowing Isak to unleash a fierce strike from a tight angle past Ipswich goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen. Just three minutes later, Gakpo split the Ipswich backline with a exquisite trivela pass with the outside of his boot, finding Isak once again. The Swedish striker expertly turned his defender inside out before sliding his second goal into the net to complete the fastest Liverpool brace in a league match since 2011. Isak was even denied a first-half hat-trick by the narrowest of offside VAR decisions.
Liverpool managed the remainder of the contest with defensive authority, anchored by an impressive full debut at right-back for loan defender Ronald Araújo alongside Virgil van Dijk and Jérémy Jacquet. In the 63rd minute, Iraola introduced marquee summer signing Bradley Barcola off the bench for his official Liverpool debut, replacing Victor Muñoz to give fans their first glimpse of the French international winger in red. The 2-0 victory secures Liverpool's first clean sheet under Iraola and lifts them into fifth place in the Premier League table as momentum builds ahead of their Champions League opener against Atlético Madrid.