Key events
HALF TIME: Ipswich Town 0-0 Liverpool
The Portman Road faithful warmly applaud their heroes off the pitch. Ipswich have played well and have made the better chances. Liverpool haven’t got going at all.
45 min: Diaz, Gravenberch and Jota shuttle the ball across the front of the Ipswich box, left to right. Salah cuts back for Alexander-Arnold, who leans back and slices a wild shot over the bar. A poor finish to Liverpool’s best move of the game.
43 min: Ipswich really fancy this now. Delap telescopes a leg to bring down a ball near the left touchline and spins past Quansah. He drives into the box and is entitled to shoot, from a tight angle, but opts to cut back for Chaplin instead. The ball’s blocked out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
41 min: Ipswich send a quick free kick in from the left. Chaplin makes a nuisance of himself, then a cross finds Tuanzebe, who loops a header towards the top right. The ball flies over the bar, but only just, and Alisson was scrambling. Ipswich have had the better chances.
39 min: Jota tries to break free down the left. Burns falls over at his feet and deliberately handles the ball. He’s on a booking, so should now be walking, but the referee shows leniency. The resulting free kick comes to nothing. Arne Slot is not particularly happy, though the level of his complaint hardly registers on the Klopp-o-meter.
37 min: Jota dribbles hard down the middle of the park and tries to release Mac Allister, but the pass is behind his man. The ball breaks off Woolfenden to Diaz on the left, but Walton has read the danger and smothers at the winger’s feet. The nearest Liverpool have come to threatening the Ipswich goal, which is not saying much.
35 min: Ipswich will be delighted with the way this is going. They’re seeing plenty of the ball, and Walton hasn’t had any serious work to do.
33 min: Liverpool pass it around patiently. More yacht rock than heavy metal.
31 min: Robertson’s corner is easily dealt with. Then Mac Allister loses a duel with Chaplin, 30 yards out, and suddenly Ipswich are tearing clear on the counter! Hutchinson dribbles hard down the right, cuts infield, makes a little space for himself, and whistles a shot towards the bottom right. Alisson is behind it all the way.
30 min: It’s Salah versus Davis down the right yet again. Another corner coming up!
28 min: Van Dijk goes long for Salah down the right. Davis refuses to give ground, but Jota arrives to help, and yet another corner is won. Robertson swings it in, but Walton smothers, and the whistle goes anyway, Quansah having shoved Greaves in the back.
26 min: Jota bustles down the left to win a corner. Alexander-Arnold loops it into the six-yard box but it’s an easy claim for Walton.
24 min: Burns nicks Mac Allister down the back of his boot, and that’s a third Ipswich booking. The Ipswich fans are livid, but all three yellow cards have been valid.
22 min: Gravenberch creams a long diagonal pass towards Diaz, in acres on the left. Tuanzebe intercepts with a crucial header. Ipswich were in all sorts of bother had the defender not been wise to the situation.
20 min: Morsy sends the free kick towards Greaves at the far post. He rises high and bangs a downward header towards the bottom left. Alisson gets down to gather. A good effort, that, and one that will give Ipswich confidence.
19 min: Burns gets in ahead of Robertson down the right, drawing an impatient shove in the back from his opponent. A daft free kick to concede with Burns facing the touchline. A chance for Ipswich to load the box. Morsy to swing it in.
17 min: Szoboszlai shoots from distance. His shot is blocked and sails out for yet another Liverpool corner from the right. Robertson loops into the mixer but Walton rises highest in a crowded box to punch clear confidently.
16 min: Gravenberch is in a busy mood. He quarterbacks from deep, but overhits his long pass down the middle for Salah, who is beginning to find space.
15 min: The corner’s half cleared. Mac Allister has the opportunity to find Gravenberch in a pocket of space just to the left of the goal, but strangely declines to make the pass. The chance to tee up his team-mate goes begging.
14 min: Szoboszlai feeds Salah down the right. Salah’s low cross-cum-shot is backed out by Greaves. Another corner from the right coming up.
13 min: Hutchinson goes sliding in on Gravenberch from behind, stretching for a loose ball he’s never going to reach. He clips his opponent’s ankle, and becomes the second Ipswich player to go into the book.
12 min: Robertson rakes a long pass down the inside-right channel and nearly finds Salah, but Walton reads the danger, racing out of his box to head clear.
10 min: Greaves heads the corner powerfully clear. Ipswich counter at speed, but Hutchinson’s attempt to release Chaplin on the left is intercepted by Alexander-Arnold.
9 min: Salah busies himself down the right and wins the first corner of the afternoon. Robertson trots across to take it. No rush.
8 min: Davis attempts to release Hutchinson down the middle with a raking pass from the left, but Robertson chests back to Alisson. A nice, open feel to this game.
6 min: Jota attempts to spin Woolfenden and is dragged back. Gravenberch looks like racing free on the overlap, but the referee blows for a free kick and books the Ipswich defender. Liverpool would have preferred to play on, especially as the resulting free kick is wasted.
4 min: Now it’s Robertson taking a careless touch. Burns nearly wriggles free down the right, but goes over looking for a free kick he’s not getting. Liverpool look a bit shaky playing it out from the beck.
2 min: Hutchinson applies pressure to the Liverpool back line and intercepts Van Dijk’s pass. He shoots. Quansah slides and blocks. No whirlwind start for Ipswich in the Premier League either.
1 min: Liverpool are on the front foot immediately, Diaz and Robertson probing down the left. No whirlwind start for Arne Slot, though, as Ipswich hold their shape.
A knee is taken, then Liverpool get the ball rolling. Portman Road is bouncing. A beautiful noise.
The teams are out! The sun is shining, it’s the first game of the season, and Portman Road is a veritable cauldron of anticipation. It’s that classic match-up: blue versus red. You cannot whack it. A large banner reads: THE FUTURE IS NOW. That being said, we’ll be off in a couple of your official Suffolk minutes.
Pre-season reading. Get it while your optimism levels remain at 110 percent.
Arne Slot talks to TNT. “I’m definitely looking forward to it … it’s all about getting a result … it’s all about preparing the team … not thinking too much about first game or new stadium or whatever it is … the job is the same whether you work in Holland or here, you want to prepare in the best possible way and that’s what we’ve tried to do … Jurgen [Klopp] and Pepijn [Ljinders] left the team in a really good place … full of energy … I do think our results [in pre-season] were a bit better than the way we played … we had some wins where the game was not as clear as the result might look … but very positive with the way we have worked until now … we have to be competitive against a good Ipswich team … there will always be one or two differences [in playing styles] which is normal because we are not the same people but I’m hoping and expecting that many things will still be the same … Ryan Gravenberch has the attributes to play [number six] but has to develop in that position … he is comfortable with the ball and can keep running.”
Kieran McKenna speaks to TNT. “We’re excited … it’s a great occasion for the club … we want to make the most of it … Kalvin [Phillips] is a very experienced player and will be a good addition … Sammie [Szmodics] is a goalscorer who takes his opportunities really well and is an all-round worker … the squad is getting there … we’re still going to keep building … we’re in a good position … we’re going to have to find a balance … we’re going to have to find ways to adapt … but we keep our core essence to be brave and bold … we’re going to try to press high and be aggressive … other times we’ll be really compact … as brave as we can … it’s going to be a big step up … we know Liverpool have fantastic things as a team already … Arne [Slot] will be adding new patterns … we’ll have to deal with things collectively … I wanted to be the one to lead the team in the Premier League … it feels the right place to be … I’m so excited.”
Ipswich keeper Arijanet Muric has a calf injury so misses out. Christian Walton takes his place. Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap make their debuts, while fellow new signings Kalvin Phillips and Sammie Szmodics are on the bench. “Other than that, it’s the core of the group that we’ve had,” Kieran McKenna tells TNT Sport. “We’ve got ten of the starting team making their first start in the Premier League today, and seven of the group have been with us since League One.”
Arne Slot makes his first big decision: Jarell Quansah partners Virgin van Dijk in the centre of defence, consigning Ibrahima Konaté to the bench. Diogo Jota, who scored a screamer against Sevilla in pre-season, is preferred to Darwin Nunez up front. Ryan Gravenberch is tasked to fill that Martín Zubimendi-shaped gap in midfield. Joe Gomez, rumoured to be for the off, isn’t in the squad.
The teams
Ipswich Town: Walton, Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Luongo, Morsy, Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson, Delap.
Subs: Slicker, Phillips, Taylor, Burgess, Al Hamadi, Johnson, Townsend, Szmodics, Harness.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz, Jota.
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Konate, Nunez, Jones, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Bradley.
Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex).
Preamble
Ipswich Town are back, baby! The Tractor Boys return to the big time pretty much where they left off. The final match of their doomed 2001-02 Premiership campaign was a 5-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, and what do you know, they’re up against the very same club in their very next top-flight fixture, a mere 22 years on. That it’s on their own turf at Portman Road may not necessarily give them succour, given Liverpool beat them on it 6-0 that same relegation-haunted season … but if we’re going to bang on about history, it’s only fair to point out that the previous season in the Premiership, 2000-01, newly-promoted Ipswich drew 1-1 against Liverpool at home and beat them 1-0 at Anfield. So history either informs us or teaches us absolutely nothing, depending on which way you look at it. You’re welcome. Kick-off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!
