Liverpool boss Arne Slot celebrated his first Premier League match with a 2-0 away victory against newly-promoted Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
After winning back-to-back promotion, Ipswich showed no signs of intimidation in a promising first-half display against one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
In fact, the Tractor Boys carried the greater threat in the first period, with Jacob Greaves and Omari Hutchinson forcing Alisson Becker into action.
However, the Reds made a dramatic improvement after the restart as Diogo Jota found the all-important breakthrough just moments after spurning a glorious opportunity.
The Portugal international had the simple task of guiding the ball home from Mohamed Salah’s squared pass, giving Liverpool a narrow lead on the hour mark.
Salah then quickly put his own name on the scoresheet in his 350th Liverpool appearance, linking up with Dominik Szoboszlai before prodding a left-foot shot past Christian Walton.
Liverpool threatened to add to their tally, but they ultimately had to be content with a 2-0 scoreline in Slot’s first game in charge of the Merseyside club.
Having entered the final 12 months of his contract, Salah has seen his Liverpool future draw speculation, but amid the uncertainty, he proved that he remains an integral part of this Liverpool squad.
The Egypt international grabbed an assist before he doubled Liverpool’s advantage to break the Premier League record for the most goals scored on the opening day of the season.
Salah has now scored nine goals on the opening weekend of a Premier League campaign and his performance at Portman Road ultimately proved crucial in Liverpool’s away day success.
With three points under their belt, Liverpool now turn their focus to Slot’s first competitive home game in charge against Brentford next week.
As for Kieran McKenna’s side, they will have to pick themselves up after being given a reality check in the second period, and matters do not get any easier as they start to prepare for an away game against Premier League champions Man City.
