The Arne Slot era at Liverpool is up and running. After a somewhat cagey first half at newly promoted Ipswich, the Reds began to exert control. They were rewarded for their dominance with goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah in quick succession. From there, they comfortably saw out the remainder of the fixture to ensure that Slot’s reign at Liverpool began on a positive note. So, what are three takeaways from Liverpool's win over Ipswich?
3 Takeaways from Liverpool's 2-0 win over Ipswich
1. Players buy into Slot’s half-time message
The starting Liverpool XI entered the tunnel at half-time, having shown few signs in the opening 45 minutes that they would depart with maximum points from Ipswich. They had failed to register a single shot on goal while they conceded several half-chances at the back. The Ipswich crowd would have been reasonable to believe that after a 22-year absence, their side could mark its return to the top flight in sensational fashion.
Liverpool were swift to put any possible excitement to rest. They re-emerged from the tunnel with far greater tempo and rhythm to their play and it was only a matter of time before Jota put his side in front on the hour mark before Mohamed Salah effectively put the game to rest five minutes later.
In order for the Reds to have improved so significantly after the break, Slot had to deliver the right message in his half-time talk, and the players needed to buy into it. Ten minutes into the second half, it was clear that both had happened. Liverpool’s passing and movement enabled them to regularly cut open Ispwich’s back line and even after they went up 2-0, they continued to threaten.
The Reds’ second-half performance strongly reflected the exciting brand of football that Slot produced at Feyenoord and that convinced the Liverpool hierarchy that he was the right man to take up the colossal task of stepping into Jurgen Klopp’s place. Midway through the second half, the travelling supporters were thrilled enough to break into a chant for Slot. If what we saw after the interval is a sign of what’s to come, the Dutchman will be hearing that chant quite often.
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