Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report Saturday, 25th Jan 2025 17:12 Cody Gakpo netted twice and Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai once each as Premier League leaders Liverpool comfortably beat the Blues 4-1 at Anfield, Jacob Greaves pulling back a late header for Town. The Reds dominated throughout and went ahead through the excellent Szoboszlai on 11, Salah made it two in the 35th minute and Gakpo 3-0 a minute before the break, then added his second and his side’s fourth on 66, with Greaves nodding his first for Town from a Julio Enciso corner in the final minute. Boss Kieran McKenna handed Jaden Philogene his full Blues debut as he made five changes to the team which lost 6-0 at home to Manchester City on Sunday. Philogene, who signed from Aston Villa earlier in the month and featured as a sub against City, came in for Jack Clarke, who was left out of the 20-man squad, but was fit, alongside Omari Hutchinson behind central striker Liam Delap. In central midfield, skipper Sam Morsy was joined by Kalvin Phillips with Jens Cajuste rested and out of the squad due to his recent heavy workload with the club continuing to manage his knee. Wes Burns replaced Ben Johnson wide on the right with Leif Davis on the left, while Axel Tuanzebe made his first start since suffering a hamstring injury at Nottingham Forest at the end of November on the right of the defence with Ben Godfrey among the subs. Dara O’Shea continued in the middle with Jacob Greaves coming in for Cameron Burgess, who was left out of the 20. Christian Walton was on goal with Enciso on the bench having joined on loan from Brighton. Liverpool also made five changes from the team which beat Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday. Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, Gakpo and Trent Alexander-Arnold all returned to the XI with Curtis Jones missing out having picked up a knock. Two minutes in, with the home side unsurprisingly seeing most of the ball, Gakpo cut in from the left but shot well over. On nine, Robertson’s effort from the edge of the box was blocked. The Reds, watched by a new Anfield record crowd of 60,420, had dominated without seriously threatening but in the 12th minute they went in front. Konate played a pass through to Szoboszlai, who had got behind Phillips, then cut into a wide gap between O’Shea and Tuanzebe before hitting a low shot from the edge of the box into the left corner of Walton’s net. Town caused the home defence problems for the first time, Hutchinson’s ball in behind for Burns on the right winning a corner, taken by Davis, which Alisson was forced claw away from under his bar, not entirely comfortably. Referee Michael Salisbury gave a rather generous free-kick. In the 24th minute, Burns suffered an injury after appearing to catch his studs in the turf and twist his knee as he challenged Gakpo. After treatment on the field, the Wales international eventually left the field on a stretcher to applause from both sets of fans, Johnson replacing him. Once it had restarted, the game continued in a similar vein, the Reds dominating with the Blues preventing any more serious chances, although Greaves had been force to block Mo Salah’s shot after he had cut in past Davis. And in the 35th minute, Salah doubled the home side’s lead. Gakpo floated a deep cross to the far post and the Egypt international stepped out away from Davis, who got drawn inside, took a touch before smashing past Walton from a tight angle. The home fans delightedly celebrated Salah’s 100th Premier League goal at Anfield and his 23rd of the season. Liverpool continued to control the game and look for openings with the Blues occasionally breaking forward, Philogene making a burst forward on the left without finding Delap. A minute before the scheduled end of the half, the Reds added their third. Szoboszlai’s low shot across Walton from the right of the box was saved by the Town keeper but not held and Gakpo followed up from close range. In seven minutes of injury time, Trent Alexander-Arnold sent over a very dangerous cross from the left which flew just beyond Luis Diaz at the far post. Moments before the whistle, Szoboszlai curled an effort from the right of the box across the face and only just beyond the post. Liverpool had dominated from start to finish, having 72 per cent of possession, and biding their time and creating the opportunities from which they scored. Town, however, will be disappointed with their defending with the defence and the midfield holding a lengthy discussion after the first. Going forward, the Blues had failed to cause any concern aside from Davis’s in-swinging corner. Hutchinson, Delap and Philogene’s occasional breaks had been ended by Konate or Virgil van Dijk with little fanfare. Ahead of the second half, the Blues switched Davis, who had been given a tough afternoon by Salah, for Conor Townsend. Davis was previously the only Town player to have played every minute of the Premier League season, while Townsend’s only league action was a single minute off the bench at Brentford. The second half began as the first had ended, Salah moving the ball on to Szoboszlai on the right of the box in the 47th minute and the Hungarian international flashing a cross past everyone in the six-yard area. Seven minutes after the restart, Delap got beyond Konate in the box but never looked in control and went to ground as the pair challenge, referee Salisbury waving away Town protests. Hutchinson struck Town’s first shot of the game in the 60th minute, the former Chelsea man’s effort following a half-cleared corner causing Alisson little difficulty, the Brazilian saving comfortably down to his right. The Blues’ first effort on goal woke the home fans up, the Anfield faithful having been unusually quiet with their team already having had the game won, with the Town fans responding in kind. But Liverpool had continued to dominate and look for holes in the Blues’ defence. And in the 66th minute, they added their fourth. Alexander-Arnold crossed from the right and Gakpo got behind the Town backline and headed into the roof of the net. VAR checked for offside but upheld the decision. Having gone four goals in front, the Reds swapped Gakpo, Gravenberch and Szboszlai, who had been Liverpool’s most dangerous player for Harvey Elliott, Darwin Nunez and Wataru Endo. Elliott was quickly into the action, screwing a volley wide having been found by a cross at the far post on the right. On 74, after a corner had been cleared, Alexander-Arnold unleashed a powerful strike from more than 30 yards which just arced away from the angle of post and bar. Delap, who had had a frustrating afternoon, was booked in the 75th minute for what the referee indicated was the latest in a succession of fouls. Three minutes later, Salah cut the ball back from the byline on the right, the ball reaching Alexander-Arnold, who hit a first-time right-foot effort which hit the top of the bar. Town made a triple change in the 89th minute with Enciso handed his debut and Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst also sent on with Hutchinson, Philogene and Delap making way. The Reds switched Mac Allister for Jayden Danns. Enciso’s first action for Town was clattering into Endo having beaten the Japanese international to a bouncing ball. Endo required treatment and Enciso was booked by referee Salisbury. With five minutes left on the clock, the Blues went close to pulling a goal back. Enciso sent Broadhead away on the left, the Welshman moved it on to Townsend, who sent over a superb cross, which Hirst headed goalwards but too close to Alisson, who was able to save sharply down to his right. Liverpool subsequently swapped Diaz for Federico Chiesa. In the final scheduled minute, prior to five additional minutes, the Blues pulled a goal back. Enciso whipped over a corner from the left and Greaves out-battled Elliott to power home his first goal for the club, giving the Town support, who had had a tough week, something to cheer about, which they continued to do for the remaining minutes. Town won a couple of corners in the closing moments from Broadhead and Enciso crosses before referee Salisbury ended the afternoon. The Blues’ support once again showed their appreciation of their players and staff following another heavy defeat. The gulf between the teams was evident throughout with Liverpool in total control and never having to really force the game, knowing that the chances to make their superiority tell would come. And when they did, they finished most of their better opportunities clinically. Town battled away gamely, although manager McKenna will be unhappy with the defending for a number of the goals, but once the first goal went in in the 11th minute where the points would go was never in doubt with Liverpool now unbeaten in 18 in the Premier League. Hirst was unlucky not to score with his header after Broadhead and Townsend had again made bright contributions, while Enciso was the pick of the two debutants - albeit at a time when the game was already dead and buried and with Liverpool having made changes - having picked up his first Town assist and showing great enthusiasm to get involved throughout, as Endo discovered. There’s little disgrace in losing at Anfield and there was no repeat either of the 5-0 which saw the Blues relegated here in 2002 or of the 6-0 loss at home to Manchester City last week. Next up, a more important fixture from a survival point of view, Southampton at Portman Road on Saturday, the Saints having lost 3-1 at home to Newcastle United. Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk (c), Robertson, Gravenberch (Nunez 69), Mac Allister (Danns 80), Szoboszlai (Endo 69), Salah, Gakpo (Elliott 69), Diaz (Chiesa Town: Walton, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis (Townsend 46), Morsy (c), Phillips, Burns (Johnson 29), Hutchinson (Enciso 79), Philogene (Broadhead 79), Delap (Hirst 79). Unused: Muric, Godfrey, Taylor, Luongo. Referee: Michael Salisbury (Preston). VAR: Paul Tierney. Att: 60,420.
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