Liverpool beat Ipswich Town 2-0 in Arne Slot's Premier League debut
Liverpool won the opening match of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory away at Ipswich Town at Portman Road. Diogo Jota broke the deadlock in the 60th minute after an assist from Mohamed Salah, before Salah himself sealed the result in the 65th minute. In doing so, manager Arne Slot became only the second Liverpool manager in the Premier League era to win his competitive league debut.
Difficult first half, strong finish
The opening stages at Ipswich were far from smooth for Liverpool. Although a convincing 2-0 victory was on the scoreboard after ninety minutes, the first half ended goalless. Ipswich Town pressed high and, according to Arne Slot, dominated large spells of the early exchanges. 'The first half was not what we expected. They were all over us and very aggressive. We couldn't find our rhythm and couldn't get in behind their defence,' the Dutchman said afterwards.
Jota and Salah decide the match
The picture changed completely in the second half. In the 60th minute, it was Diogo Jota who broke the deadlock: the Portuguese forward finished off an assist from Mohamed Salah. Five minutes later, the net was bulging again, this time through Salah himself, who doubled the score and put the game firmly beyond doubt. 'The second half was a joy to watch,' Slot said with satisfaction.
Historic milestone for Arne Slot
With this victory, Arne Slot wrote his name into Liverpool's history books. He is only the second manager of the Reds in the Premier League era to win his competitive league debut. His predecessors in that statistic are the joint managers Gérard Houllier and Roy Evans, who also won their first Premier League fixture back in August 1998.
Tough schedule ahead for both clubs
The fixture list offers little respite for either side. Ipswich Town continue their season with away matches against Manchester City on 24 August and Brighton & Hove Albion on 14 September, with a home game on 31 August sandwiched in between. Liverpool have a home fixture against Brentford on 25 August, before travelling to Manchester United on 1 September and welcoming Nottingham Forest at home on 14 September.
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Source: Sportmonks
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