In Arne Slot‘s debut Premier League match as the head coach of Liverpool, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota were instrumental in securing a hard-fought 2-0 victory over newly promoted Ipswich Town at Portman Road stadium earlier today, August 17.
Liverpool’s opening goal came after a well-crafted team play involving Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, with Portuguese forward Jota finishing off Salah’s low cross to beat Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton just after the hour mark.
Liverpool doubled their lead only five minutes later, as Mohamed Salah found the back of the net from Dominik Szoboszlai’s pass, marking his ninth opening-day Premier League goal, a new record in the league.
This means that Salah has failed to score in just one opening-day match since the 32-year-old Egyptian winger joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017.
While Ipswich showed resilience in the first half, creating several scoring opportunities including Jacob Greaves’ downward header and Omar Hutchinson’s low drive, Liverpool dominated the second half.
Jota narrowly missed a chance to extend the lead with a header from Alexander-Arnold’s precise cross, but that didn’t happen, as the game ended in a 2-0 victory.
The defeat marked Ipswich’s first home loss in almost a year, while Liverpool’s strong start under Arne Slot’s leadership showcased their intent for the new 2024-2025 Premier League season.
