Liverpool Secures First Win Under Iraola with 2-0 Victory

IPSWICH, England — Liverpool finally have liftoff under Andoni Iraola.

After back-to-back 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, the new coach’s first Premier League win came with a sharp, ruthless edge on Friday night: a 2-0 victory away at promoted Ipswich, built on a blistering early double from Alexander Isak and a debut cameo from big-money signing Bradley Barcola.

Liverpool were on the front foot from the first whistle. Ipswich barely had time to settle before Isak struck. In the sixth minute, Cody Gakpo slipped a clever pass into the right side of the box, Isak took it in stride and hammered a fierce shot that crashed off goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen and spun into the net. The away end exploded; Iraola finally had the fast start he had been craving.

The pressure didn’t ease. Three minutes later, Gakpo produced the moment of the match. From deep, he wrapped his right boot around the ball, using the outside of his foot to arc a long, teasing pass over the top of the Ipswich back line. Isak timed his run perfectly, gathered the ball, shifted feet to wrong-foot his marker and drilled home his second. Two chances, two goals, nine minutes gone. Liverpool were cruising.

Ipswich, back in the top flight after promotion last season, tried to respond, but the damage was already done. Their energy never quite turned into clear chances, and Liverpool managed the game with a control that had been missing in those chaotic 2-2 draws.

The night also belonged to Barcola. The 123 million-pound signing from Paris Saint-Germain, who arrived on Monday, pulled on a Liverpool shirt in competitive action for the first time when he came off the bench in the 63rd minute. His introduction didn’t bring another goal, but it underlined the sense of a new era taking shape under Iraola: fresh faces, a sharper edge, and finally a win to show for it.

Ipswich leave with two defeats and one win from their opening three games back in the Premier League. Liverpool leave with something more valuable than just three points — a clear sign that Iraola’s ideas are beginning to bite.