For all the talk over whether Liverpool would deploy their shiny new signing against Ipswich, it was their like-a-new-signing attacker and his combination with their maybe-it’s-a-good-job-he-didn’t-become-someone-else’s-new-signing teammate that put them in command.
When we ranked our top 10 Like A New Signing contenders last month, Alexander Isak came second. After his injury-hit debut season at Anfield, rendering all that fuss about his transfer from Newcastle United somewhat inconsequential, the prospect of him being back to lead the line in Liverpool’s new era this season was enticing.
Against Ipswich, he proved why.
It’s not often that what happens in the first 10 minutes becomes the story of the match, but the way Isak started made that the case on this occasion.
His opening goal, in the sixth minute, was a reminder of how fearsome he can be when at his best. He struck his shot with venom and it flew past Kjell Scherpen at his near post.
For his second goal, just a few minutes later, Isak manoeuvred the ball one way and then the other, getting it out of his feet to slot past Scherpen.
But there was a crucial aspect behind both goals. It wasn’t just all Isak’s doing; each assist was provided by Cody Gakpo.
There’s an alternative timeline where Gakpo isn’t a Liverpool player anymore for this game – and they might not have been too fussed.
First it was Tottenham Hotspur who thought they were in with a chance of landing the Dutch winger, and then it was Manchester City who zoned in.
But Liverpool pulled the plug on the deal, with the official line being their lack of a replacement – despite Bradley Barcola arriving a few days earlier.
In theory, Barcola is the Gakpo upgrade on the left wing for Liverpool, although the lack of an obvious Mohamed Salah replacement on the right will lead to the impression that he is in fact the Egyptian’s successor.
But on Friday night, it was Gakpo on the left and a different newcomer, the pacy Victor Munoz, on the right.
Gakpo unlocked the Ipswich defence not once but twice to give Liverpool the advantage. He showed good footwork as he got across the pitch to pass to Isak for his opener, demonstrating the intensity that Andoni Iraola will want to instil in his new squad.
Assist number two, like Isak’s finish, showed a different aspect to the player’s skillset. Gakpo played Isak through with the outside of his boot, just in time for his teammate to evade the offside trap.
There was to be no Isak hat-trick. He just strayed offside after a Florian Wirtz pass after the half-hour mark before putting the ball in the net for what would have been a third goal.
It didn’t matter. Within a short burst of time, Isak had put the Premier League on notice. A fully fit and firing version of him will be a different beast for Liverpool.
Isak was taken off just after the hour mark, with Barcola coming on and Gakpo moving to the middle.
This was not the game to learn too much about Liverpool’s new attacking star, with Isak’s goals remaining the only ones of the game.
In fact, after Barcola’s introduction, Ipswich had seemingly as much involvement on the ball as their visitors. They were not in the mood to see another game taken away from them after the 5-2 collapse against Manchester United.
Thus, we will have to wait and see how Barcola fits into this team. But the reminders issued by Isak and Gakpo could not have been more timely.
With Isak sometimes drifting into the left channel, they were able to build a strong connection. This was only their 10th time starting a Premier League game together, let’s not forget.
And in the process, Gakpo doubled the number of Isak goals he has assisted. There was one last season and one last week before tonight’s two.
Gakpo rising to the fore was arguably more notable, as much as Isak is in the limelight. It’s generally expected that Isak will reach a higher level of form this season, but for Gakpo, there hasn’t been anywhere near as much confidence. This was a player close enough to leaving Liverpool that he had a preferred next club set up and there were clear indications of his transfer fee.
There seemed to be a sense of ambivalence at Liverpool over losing Gakpo, a player who regressed last season. But then again, so did several under Arne Slot. Now, Iraola is trying to turn their fortunes around.
It hasn’t been a great start to the Iraola era, and even this result is only the first building block. Tougher tests than Ipswich await, but a more direct approach did the trick on this occasion and Gakpo gave a glimpse into how he can improve in such a system.
But it’s a rejuvenated Isak that the Liverpool fans were chanting about and Iraola will be licking his lips over the prospect of his no.9 continuing in this vein of form, whether it’s Gakpo, Barcola or both in support.
READ NEXT: Liverpool signing among 10 biggest Premier League overpays of 2026