How Liverpool Debuted Without Klopp
Liverpool made their Premier League debut with a 0-2 victory against the newly promoted Ipswich Town, thanks to the efforts of Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai. Salah contributed with a goal and an assist, while Szoboszlai provided key passes to break through the defense.
In the absence of a key figure like Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool began the "Arne Slot era" with a completely consistent squad, without any new signings (being the only Premier League club without fresh faces), but with the same challenge as in previous seasons: to end Manchester City's dominance, which has amassed four consecutive titles and six of the last seven.
The former Feyenoord coach faces a monumental task. His goal is to ensure that the fans don’t miss Klopp, who undoubtedly left a mark during his nine seasons in charge. Slot, with five years of experience in the Dutch top flight, aims to bring back a title to Liverpool's trophy cabinet that they haven't won since the 2019/20 season.
For his first lineup, he left out Joe Gómez, who seems to be on the verge of leaving the club. It appears that Liverpool can do without their central defender with the emergence of Jarell Quansah, who is now firmly established as a key player in defense alongside Virgil van Dijk. Both featured in the season's opening lineup along with established names such as Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai. Cody Gakpo remained on the bench.
On the other side, Ipswich Town, managed by Kieran McKenna, played their first match in the English top flight after 22 years. Their promotion last season, the first since the 1999/2000 campaign, energized their supporters, who filled Portman Road to witness their club's return to the elite.
Driven by their fans' enthusiasm, they were the pillars of their team, which came out aggressively against Liverpool with a suffocating press that stifled Slot's team, unable to generate anything during the first 45 minutes. Although McKenna’s men had only one chance with a header from Greaves, they went into halftime feeling like they had achieved a moral victory.
However, everything changed for Ipswich Town when Liverpool decided to step on the gas to end the uncertainty. Szoboszlai and Salah took care of quelling the underdog's rebellion: with half an hour left, the Hungarian midfielder made a spectacular pass to the Egyptian, who only had to lay off the ball to Diogo Jota, allowing the Portuguese attacker to comfortably open the scoring.
Diogo Jota’s goal sealed the match. Ipswich Town fell apart and capitulated just five minutes later when another great pass from Szoboszlai set up Salah to finish off the game.
In the last year of his contract, Salah demonstrated he is still at peak performance. He started strong with a goal and an assist, eager to lead his team towards a title that still requires months of fighting. For now, with his effectiveness and the help of an inspired Szoboszlai, Liverpool took the first of many steps needed to claim the championship. There is a long way to go, but Slot’s team already knows the taste of victory.
