Alexander Isak's Brace Leads Liverpool to Victory at Ipswich
Alexander Isak says the worst of his Liverpool struggles is behind him. On a sharp Portman Road night, he played like it.
Nine minutes. Two finishes. Three points.
Liverpool’s £125 million record signing struck twice early to seal a 2-0 win at Ipswich on Friday, powering Andoni Iraola to his first victory as Liverpool manager at the third attempt and pushing his own Premier League tally to three goals in three games this season.
For a player who arrived under the weight of a British-record fee and then limped through an injury-ravaged first year, it felt like a line in the sand.
“It was not easy. It was a long injury, a difficult season in general,” the Sweden striker told Sky Sports. “I was thinking: I want to have a good World Cup firstly and then to start the season well, which I feel like I’ve done now. That season is kind of behind me, but it wasn’t easy.”
Isak looks determined to make sure it stays there.
Iraola’s first win, Isak’s new beginning
This was the night Iraola finally saw his new side turn control into a result. Twice in those breathless opening minutes, Isak broke Ipswich’s resistance, twice he showed the penalty-box calm Liverpool paid for.
The Spaniard, though, sounded anything but surprised.
“Yes, with Alex, if he is fit, if he is available, if he is in good shape, I think he will produce the numbers,” Iraola said afterwards. “My demands with Alex will not be about the goals, probably will be about other things. I will demand other things so we can play well, because if we play well we are in good positions and the goals will come.
“He has to contribute towards the collective and knowing when everyone helps, after the goals and assists will come.”
The message was clear: the brace is a bonus; the standard lies in the work around it.
Gakpo pulls the strings
Isak walked away with the headlines. Cody Gakpo quietly authored them.
Both of the Swede’s goals came from the Dutchman’s boot. First, a precise through-ball sliced Ipswich open for the opener. Then, an even more audacious outside-of-the-foot pass unlocked the defence again for the second, all before the clock had ticked into double figures.
This, remember, after a summer in which Tottenham and Manchester City circled and Liverpool simply refused to pick up the phone.
“I had no doubt with Cody. He has been very good all the preseason, has started very well the season, producing numbers,” Iraola said. “After the two assists, he finished as a number nine to help us close the game and I think it’s good to have Cody because he can play in the three positions up top. To have him in this place, for the beginning of the season, it’s good.
“I think Cody knows how much we value him, I think there is no doubt. I rate him very highly.”
Gakpo started as creator, ended as the central striker tasked with killing off the contest. On this evidence, his importance to Iraola’s Liverpool is only growing.
Barcola’s first taste of Anfield life
The night also brought a first glimpse of Liverpool’s other blockbuster arrival.
France winger Bradley Barcola, signed this week from Paris Saint-Germain in a £123 million deal, began on the bench. Iraola turned to him on 64 minutes, handing the 21-year-old his Liverpool debut with the points effectively secure.
There was no need for fireworks; just a first step in a new league, in a new shirt, on a night when the club’s most expensive forwards began to look like a coherent plan rather than a collection of price tags.
Isak’s double, Gakpo’s vision, Barcola’s introduction and Iraola’s first win: Liverpool leave Portman Road with more than just three points. They leave with the sense that a season which once threatened to be defined by last year’s scars might instead be shaped by how quickly this new front line can catch fire.
