Ipswich Town impressed in the first half but Liverpool's overall quality showed in a dominant second-half display, as they handed Town their first home defeat since 26th August 2023.
There was little goalmouth action in the first half. The Tractor Boys had a couple of half chances but surprisingly the visitors created very little, failing to take advantage of an overload of corners.
The second half was a different story - the Blue Army started to tire and gaps appeared, which the Reds' best creative players in the form of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai, clinically exploited.
Liverpool finally got the breakthrough in the 60th minute. Alexander-Arnold's defence-splitting pass set Mohamed Salah away, and he unselfishly laid it across to Diogo Jota who clinically finished into the top corner.
Just five minutes later Slot's men doubled their advantage as the provider for the first goal, Salah, turned goal scorer. The Egyptian poked the ball beyond Christian Walton to seal a victory.
Liverpool had further opportunities to extend their lead but failed to capitalise on them. A deserved win for the Boys in Red but there are plenty of positives for Town to take away.
Here are the four key takeaways for Ipswich following this defeat:
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Ipswich can compete in top-flight
Ipswich's first half back in the Premier League was so impressive.
Despite the gulf in quality and experience between the two teams, the Blue Army were aggressive and physical winning the majority of the duels and second balls. Kieran McKenna opted for a high line and press which was so positive, the Ipswich front four marked out Liverpool's double pivot forcing them to go long to beat the press.
Their opposition started the second half much better and, after a strong penalty shout for Ipswich was turned down due to Leif Davis being offside, it was all Liverpool.
McKenna's side left it all out there in the first half and a few tactical tweaks from Slot worked wonders for the Reds who started to exploit the gaps. It is about finding that balance across the 90 minutes. Ipswich were competitive with one of the world's best for 45 minutes and this will give them plenty of confidence.
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Missing the cutting-edge required
Town created the better chances in the first half.
Firstly, in the 20th minute, Jacob Greaves' header was too central but forced Alisson into a save. On the half-hour mark, Omari Hutchinson would have been clean through if Liam Delap's through ball had been more central; the ball pushed Hutchinson out wide and he did well to create a shooting opportunity, albeit straight at the Brazilian keeper.
With 43 minutes on the clock, Delap pulled off a beautiful touch to spin Jarell Quansah, however he tried to square the ball when a shot would have been the better option.
This shows the fine margins and quality in decision-making needed to score against the best teams in the division. In comparison, despite not being as clinical as they could have been, the Reds' decision-making was much better in the final third and they have the world-class talent to finish off their chances.
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Ipswich need a natural left-winger
Town addressed their defensive midfielder concerns last week with the additions of Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City and Jens Cajuste waiting to be announced on loan from Napoli.
Now the priority that needs to be addressed is a natural left winger. Nathan Broadhead is out for two months and is already proving a big miss. Omari Hutchinson featured there yesterday and whilst he will always put in a shift, his best role is on the right wing, where he showed last season he can be deadly cutting in on his left foot.
It was clear that Liverpool got a lot of joy down the left hand side and Leif Davis was left isolated because Alexander-Arnold was allowed too much space to pick off key passes. A natural left winger would have balanced this out. In the Premier League Davis will have fewer opportunities to bomb forward down the left.
Jack Clarke feels like the logical solution to the left winger concerns. He has made an excellent start to the season for Sunderland with a goal and assist in two games. He would add a new dynamic to the left-hand side with his ball-carrying abilities.
However, a move will depend on how much money the Tractor Boys have left to spend because a deal for the Englishman would cost in the region of £20-25 million.
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Jacob Greaves looks at home
Greaves, on his Premier League and competitive Tractor Boys debut, was the standout performer for the Boys in Blue. He set the tone, getting the fans invested with a crunching fair slide tackle on Szoboszlai just two minutes into the game.
Greaves was dominant in the air and strong in the duel. He frustrated the Liverpool attackers by aggressively stepping in and giving them no breathing space. Greaves was also comfortable on the ball and was fouled three times.
Greaves' highlight was a big goal-line clearance which prevented a certain Liverpool goal, whilst the former Hull City man also contributed with a couple of big blocks towards the end of the game. He also showed that he will be a threat from set pieces.
A fantastic debut for Greaves, who is building on his impressive campaign for Hull City last season.
