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Isak fires as Liverpool win
Alexander Isak scored twice in the first nine minutes as Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, handing Andoni Iraola his first Premier League win since taking over in the summer.
“Alexander Isak scored twice for Liverpool in their 2-0 Premier League win at Ipswich Town”
Isak’s goals came in the sixth and ninth minutes, with Cody Gakpo providing the assists for both strikes as the Reds took control early.
Al Jazeera said Isak pounced in the sixth and ninth minutes to ease Liverpool nerves about a “third successive winless match,” while Sky Sports described Isak’s double as getting Iraola “up and running as Reds boss.”
Iraola told Sky Sports, “We needed this win,” and he added that it was “also nice to get a clean sheet and control the match.”
Quotes and match framing
Isak, speaking to Sky Sports, said, “We were waiting for the first win, and we were talking about staring the game good which we haven't done recently,” and he added, “We scored two and could have scored more.”
Sky Sports also quoted Iraola on the clean sheet and control, saying, “The way it has been with the clean sheet, controlling the game quite well.”
Al Jazeera framed the second half as Liverpool cruising, reporting that “With his side in cruise control in the second period, Iraola was able to look to the bench to hand a 64th-minute debut to Bradley Barcola.”
The same Al Jazeera report described Liverpool’s first goal as coming from “a drilled finish from within the area” after Gakpo picked out Isak, and it said the outside-of-the-foot through-ball set Isak on his way to dribble past Jacob Greaves before slotting home.
What the win changes
After drawing their first two games of the season, Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Ipswich left them with one win and two draws, and it came as the Reds moved to fifth on the Premier League table ahead of the weekend’s slate of matches, according to ESPN.
“moving up to fifth on the Premier League table ahead of this weekend's slate of matches”
ESPN also said the clean sheet was “very welcome” after Liverpool had conceded four goals in their opening two matches, while it noted that Isak’s brace came after a difficult start that left him scoring only four times in 22 appearances in his first season at Anfield.
Al Jazeera reported that Iraola was able to bring on Bradley Barcola for his 64th-minute debut, and it described Barcola as the club’s record signing with his summer move from Paris Saint-Germain.
The match also carried consequences for Ipswich’s season momentum, with Al Jazeera calling the trip a “serious trip hazard” for the promoted side and noting they had “won their first league game” before losing to Liverpool at Portman Road.