Three minutes: is that all it takes to kickstart a career? For all the pre-match talk and excitement surrounding Liverpool's star signing of the summer in Bradley Barcola, Friday night under the Suffolk lights was finally time for the joint-most expensive purchase in English football history to make his first significant mark in Merseyside red. It's only taken him 12 months.
What a morale-boosting evening this was for Alexander Isak at Portman Road. Loitering tantalisingly on the shoulder of a beleaguered Ipswich defence, the Sweden international notched two goals in three first-half minutes here – his first brace for Liverpool and just his fifth and sixth Premier League goals since that £125m move from Newcastle – to set Andoni Iraola on his way to a comfortable first Premier League victory in the Reds dugout. "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. We shall see.
There is precedent for such a tenure-starter. It was at Ipswich two years ago where Arne Slot earned his first win as Liverpool manager on day one. And that was a 2-0 victory too. We didn't know it then, but that was the start of a title-winning campaign, only Liverpool's second in 35 years. Nobody is suggesting that such success is in the offing this time around – Slot's side opened that season with 11 wins from 13 – but Iraola will hope that this can be a line in the sand after a disorderly first two games.
Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool brace in a comfortable win at Ipswich on Friday night (Reuters)
Cody Gakpo notched two more assists at Portman Road (AP)
And yet, for Isak's goal and Barcola's second-half introduction, it was Cody Gakpo whose influence was once again most keenly felt in the final third. A goalscorer on matchday one against Newcastle and with an assist to his name last week against Nottingham Forest, it has been an imposing start from the Dutch international in the most congested positional area of the squad. Here, one threaded through ball and one "trivela" pass into space set up Isak's brace. He was also used as a No 9 for the final half-an-hour.
All this, too, when a £80m deal to Manchester City looked to be in the offing a week ago. "I had no doubt with Cody," said Iraola afterwards. "He has been very good all the pre-season, has started the season very well, producing numbers. I think Cody knows how much we value him, I think there is no doubt. I rate him very highly."
Within this, Iraola also referenced how speedily Gakpo gambled with quick instinctive passes forward, as opposed to taking the "safety" option. Florian Wirtz: take note. "This is part of the process; we want to risk," he said. "When we recover the ball, look forward. It's the moment you can find some spaces between the defenders and we can give the No 9 chances. If we play 'safety passes', the chance won't be there."
The immediate quandary for the Reds boss will be how to squeeze in all his attacking options. Can you shift Gakpo away from the left, where he has been so effective early on? The answer will probably be yes: Barcola has been signed to play in his favoured position. But what about Victor Munoz (who was again impressive) on the right? What about Rio Ngumoha? It is a nice problem for the Basque coach to have.
Yet for all of Liverpool's panache and pose here, Ipswich were helter-skelter and helpless. The hosts, who won on the opening weekend against Sunderland and looked very apt for 40 minutes at Old Trafford last Sunday, were all at sea at the back for much of this encounter and badly lacked decisiveness in the final third. For Ipswich boss Gary O'Neil, in a high-pitched atmosphere, it was one to write off as their 18-game unbeaten home league streak ended with something of a whimper.
Mind you, that back four weren't aided by a gaping wide hole in front of them, usually occupied by the double team of Dominik Szoboszlai and Wirtz onrushing. Both had multiple sights of goal; both will be frustrated they didn't find the scoresheet on the night. Iraola opted to hand Ronald Araujo, the Barcelona loanee, a start at right back over the much-maligned Jeremie Frimpong while Barcola had to settle for the bench, having missed an entire PSG pre-season due to France's World Cup run.
Yet even without their new acquisition, and after two matches where Iraola's side have fallen behind, there were no such early frailties here. If Isak takes the headlines, Gakpo was the double architect. Isak's first, six minutes in, was a delicate pinpoint pass from Gakpo into his strike partner, who finished solidly at the near-post. Ipswich's Kjell Scherpen, however, won't want to watch it back; the Dutch keeper really should have palmed it away.
Isak slots home his second cooly with his left foot (Reuters)
Bradley Barcola made his Liverpool debut after his £123m move (Getty)
And in next to no time, it was two. Gakpo, again, finding Isak in behind with a delicious outside-of-the-foot pass and the revitalised Swede – funny what a goal can do – chopped one way and then the other before coolly slotting past the helpless Iversen with his left foot. Iraola wheeled away in delight. "Isak again ole ole" was the song from the travelling contingent.
Perhaps the only criticism that could be levelled at Liverpool's frontline was that the game wasn't out of sight at half-time. Szoboszlai had a few pings at the Ipswich goal, this time well-saved by Iversen, while Isak could have notched a first Liverpool hat-trick had he not strayed clumsily offside from Wirtz's cross.
And yet… Ipswich had their brief moments. Once the hosts progressed beyond Iraola's famously intense high-press, there was space to attack and opportunities on the table. Araujo turned the ball away when a tap-in looked inevitable from Julio Enciso's cross and Abdul Fatawu had the beating of Milos Kerkez on the right, but was wasteful in his attempts on goal.
The second-half only saw the visitors press home their dominance. Alexis MacAllister missed a glorious chance to put the result beyond all doubt with a free header straight at Iversen before Szoboszlai was denied a penalty, on VAR review, for a shirt pull from Leif Davis after he was called offside by the officials in the booth.
To some surprise, Iraola opted to substitute Isak in the 63rd minute – no hat-trick today – but the raised eyebrows were short-lived as Barcola made his bow in the 63rd minute to huge cheers in the away end. And the initial report? A few flash turns, some very quick feet and an unbelievable turn of pace in behind. No doubt: he will give problems to right-backs up and down the country.
The Reds have only once gone seven Premier League games without a win – and that was 24 years ago. There would be no repeat here. A comfortable triumph, a clean sheet and Iraola's leading No 9 in the goals. Boxes were most certainly ticked. The Spaniard's tenure may well depend on whether he can get the club's high-priced purchases – Isak, Barcola, Wirtz – to fire. An away day in East Anglia could just be the pivotal trigger.
