Ipswich Town suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Premier League leaders Liverpool, losing 4-1 at Anfield.

A brace from Cody Gakpo, alongside goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah, extended Liverpool's scintillating form. Jacob Greaves' late header served only as a consolation for the visitors.

Ipswich had hoped to avoid conceding early, a weakness exploited by Manchester City last weekend. Cody Gakpo tested the waters early on but fired over from distance. However, the Blues’ resistance lasted only 11 minutes. Ibrahima Konaté’s perfectly weighted pass set Dominik Szoboszlai free, with the Hungarian weaving past defenders before driving a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area to open the scoring.

Ipswich struggled to maintain possession or shift the momentum. A bright moment saw Omari Hutchinson link up with Wes Burns, who earned a corner off Andy Robertson but stumbled into the Kop. From the ensuing corner, Leif Davis’ delivery momentarily unsettled Alisson, though Liverpool cleared their lines with ease.

Disaster struck Ipswich in the 24th minute when Wes Burns went down clutching his knee after catching his studs in the turf. After receiving treatment, Burns was stretchered off and replaced by Ben Johnson.

Liverpool doubled their lead in the 35th minute. Gakpo floated a cross into the box from the left, initially intended for Szoboszlai. The ball, however, bypassed him and fell to Salah, who lashed it into the roof of the net.

As in last weekend's loss to Manchester City, Ipswich risked further capitulation before the interval. A defence-splitting pass from Ryan Gravenberch found Szoboszlai, whose first-time shot was parried by Christian Walton. Gakpo pounced on the rebound, smashing it home to make it 3-0 in the 44th minute.

Liverpool nearly added a fourth before half-time. A pinpoint cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold narrowly missed Luis Díaz, while Szoboszlai curled a shot just wide moments later.

Leif Davis was replaced by Conor Townsend at the break, but the substitute found himself under pressure almost immediately. Within 90 seconds, Salah nutmegged him, and Szoboszlai came close to scoring again.

Ipswich managed their first attempt on goal around the hour mark. After a deflected cross led to a corner, Townsend’s delivery was cleared, but Hutchinson’s 25-yard shot was easily gathered by Alisson.

Liverpool remained in control, showcasing their confidence with intricate passing. Their dominance was rewarded in the 66th minute when Alexander-Arnold delivered a superb cross, allowing Gakpo to head past Walton for his second goal of the game.

The Reds continued to push forward. Alexander-Arnold came close to scoring himself, firing narrowly wide in the 75th minute before rattling the crossbar moments later following good work by Salah.

Substitute Julio Enciso made an immediate impact, albeit negatively, as he was booked for a high boot on Wataru Endo in the 81st minute.

Ipswich almost pulled one back in the 85th minute when George Hirst connected with Townsend’s cross, forcing Alisson into a sharp save. They eventually found a consolation goal in the 90th minute, with Jacob Greaves heading home from Enciso’s corner after escaping Harvey Elliott’s marking.

Line-ups:

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch (Endo 68’), Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai (Elliott 68’), Gakpo (Núñez 68’); Díaz (Chiesa 86’)

Ipswich Town (3-4-2-1): Walton; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves; Burns (Johnson 29’), Morsy, Phillips, Davis (Townsend 46’); Hutchinson (Enciso 79’), Philogene (Broadhead 79’); Delap (Hirst 79’)

Liverpool’s victory sees them maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table, while Ipswich face an uphill battle to recover from back-to-back defeats.