Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Ipswich Town: Isak Dominates, Barcola Debuts

It was third time lucky for Liverpool on Friday near England’s southeast coast, claiming victory in a Premier League match for the first time this season. Ipswich Town proved no match for Andoni Iraola’s team, who left with a 2–0 victory.

Fresh from finding the net last weekend against Nottingham Forest, Alexander Isak scored twice in quick succession inside the opening 10 minutes to give the Reds a comfortable early buffer.

Isak linked up with Cody Gakpo both times, the latter first delivering a pinpoint pass that was met with a blistering near-post finish. Ipswich goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen got hands to it and might have felt he should do better, but the venom in the shot took it into the net.

The second was another inch-perfect Gakpo pass, this time drawing Isak to the left-hand side of the Ipswich box. He jinked inside and back out to wrongfoot defender Jacob Greaves and saw the gap around Scherpen to double Liverpool’s advantage.

Isak was denied a first-half hat-trick by the offside flag, straying fractionally beyond the last line of the Ipswich defense when Florian Wirtz provided the critical pass.

It was a calmer start to the second half from a Liverpool team in full control, and Ipswich lacked the creative power to trouble them. The spectacle of the first half quickly dissipated.

The Reds wanted a penalty midway through the second period when Dominik Szoboszlai was manhandled and upended by Leif Davis in the box. It wasn’t awarded in real time, but when VAR intervened to review the potential foul, Szoboszlai was seen to be offside in the first place.

Ipswich went close to pulling a goal back towards the end when substitute Jack Clarke took a shot that deflected off teammate Issa Diop and didn’t far miss the target.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Alexander Isak celebrates — Isak is flying. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Taking last season in isolation, Alexander Isak was easily among the worst signings in Premier League history—a record fee, a poor output and months spent injured. But the Swede had been frighteningly good in a Newcastle United shirt before that and looks very much like he’s heading back there now. It is in stark contrast to 12 months ago, when he’d forced his way out of Newcastle by striking through preseason. Isak looks sharp and very hungry.

For his second goal of the night, Isak made an initial run that wasn’t seen. He momentarily let out the frustration, but immediately reset and made the run again. The second time, Gakpo spotted it and, in a flash, the ball was in the Ipswich net.

This is a player in red-hot form, and he’s demanding only the best from those around him. He’s firing on all cylinders and raising their level, too. The relationship with Gakpo in particular is blossoming.

All the talk about replacing Mohamed Salah and his production has brought focus to the wingers, and for what it’s worth, Bradley Barcola made his debut off the bench here. But maybe it’s not a like-for-like situation and things have to shift. Isak is proving he can be that change.

Liverpool haven’t had a striker score 30 goals in a season since Luis Suárez more than a decade ago. If we’re talking about a more traditional goalscoring No. 9, it’s longer ago, back to Fernando Torres, Robbie Fowler and even all the way back to Ian Rush’s 1980s peak.

Isak is already on three goals for 2026–27 just three Premier League games in, and the Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup are yet to begin for Liverpool.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Ipswich (4-2-3-1)

Cody Gakpo vs. Ipswich — Cody Gakpo could have been sold during the summer. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Alisson—8.2: Ended up making five saves in total without ever being genuinely troubled.

RB: Ronald Araújo—7.7: A first start as a Liverpool player, and this could become his regular position. Strong in his duels, particularly aerially, and Jeremie Frimpong ought to be worried.

CB: Jérémy Jacquet—7.4: Not thoroughly convincing compared to previous outings this season. Carded for a reckless challenge early in the second half.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.7: Looked more comfortable than he has been in recent weeks to prove that there is still gas left in the tank.

LB: Milos Kerkez—6.7: His aggressive defending led to Liverpool scoring their first goal. Important given the scrutiny and pressure he faced over the last 12 months.

CM: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.6: With Ipswich lacking open-play threat, it was easier for him to go roaming here. He won’t get that luxury every week, so there are still issues to be resolved. Had three shots, all on target, and created two chances.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—7.5: Not as tidy on the ball as Liverpool would expect or hope, recording only 85% passing accuracy. Tackled well.

RM: Víctor Muñoz—6.8: A third different starter on the right wing so far this season as Iraola figures out his best attack. Showcased his pace but needs to add creativity.

AM: Florian Wirtz—7.2: It was Gakpo who took the glory with assists, but the German playmaker covered so much ground—more than anyone on the pitch—and deserves credit for that alone.

LM: Cody Gakpo—8.9: Survived the summer transfer window when plenty of fans were happy to see the back of him and is thriving to prove his critics wrong.

ST: Alexander Isak—8.8: Two goals in the first 10 minutes and another in the first half disallowed for a marginal offside. Withdrawn in the 64th minute after a job well done.

SUB: Ryan Gravenberch (64’ for Isak)—6.3: Tidy in midfield to keep Liverpool in control.

SUB: Bradley Barcola (64’ for Muñoz)—6.0: Handed an eagerly awaited debut, but it was only 12 touches of the ball.

SUB: Trey Nyoni (84’ for Mac Allister)—N/A

SUB: Lewis Koumas (90+1’ for Wirtz)—N/A

Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Jeremie Frimpong, Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo, Rio Ngumoha.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Ronald Araujo vs. Ipswich — Ronald Araújo looks reborn away from Barcelona. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Alexander Isak has arrived. Give him the ball in the right areas and he will score. The Swede only took two shots and buried both.
Ronald Araújo might turn into a very shrewd signing. Some eyebrows were raised when the defender, who had lost his way at Barcelona, suddenly rocked up at Anfield. But there is evidence to suggest he will add solidity to a defense that has lacked it for 12 months.
It’s too soon to glean anything about Bradley Barcola in a Liverpool shirt. The Frenchman had 26 minutes plus stoppage time, but he arrived into a match that was already won and had lost momentum. He will also still need more time to build fitness.

The Numbers That Explain Liverpool’s Slump-Busting Win

Attacking quality declined in the second half. Both teams collectively managed only 0.43 in xG after the interval. It meant there was never any danger of Ipswich fighting back.
Liverpool were ruthlessly efficient, with a limited Ipswich actually generating more xG than the Reds over the 90 minutes. That’s the Alexander Isak effect.
Liverpool conceded 53 goals in the Premier League last season, so a first shutout of the season, and in this competition since April, went a long way to underpinning victory.

Statistic	Ipswich	Liverpool
Possession	45%	55%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.73	0.66
Total Shots	14	10
Shots on Target	5	7
Pass Accuracy	83%	88%
Fouls Committed	6	13
Corners	4	3

Add us as a preferred source on Google