Mohamed Salah netted his 100th Premier League goal at Anfield as Liverpool cruised to a commanding 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town, further solidifying their dominance at the top of the table under manager Arne Slot.

Salah's landmark goal, his 19th league strike of the season and 176th in the competition, brought him within one goal of Frank Lampard (177) on the Premier League's all-time scorers list. The Egyptian’s effort was sandwiched between goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, who each delivered standout performances as Ipswich were thoroughly outclassed in the first half.

Gakpo added Liverpool’s fourth just after the hour mark, allowing Slot to rest the Dutchman, Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch with over 25 minutes left to play.

Elsewhere, Arsenal stayed within six points of the league leaders, albeit having played an additional game, with a win over struggling Wolves, while Nottingham Forest, in third, fell nine points adrift after a defeat at Bournemouth. Ipswich, meanwhile, remain entrenched in 18th place, having lost eight of their last 11 league matches.

Despite facing a Liverpool side playing the first of six matches in just 18 days, Ipswich struggled to compete. The visitors failed to register a single shot until the hour mark and were fortunate to avoid a repeat of the 6-0 thrashing they endured against Manchester City last weekend.

First Half: Liverpool’s Ruthless Precision

Ipswich's cautious approach saw them defending deep, often with all 11 players within 25 yards of their own goal. Yet, this did little to stop Liverpool’s incisive attacks.

In the 18th minute, Ibrahima Konaté, whose distribution Slot had identified as an area for improvement, picked out Szoboszlai in the inside-right channel. The Hungarian international skilfully cut back onto his left foot, wrong-footing Dara O’Shea, before dispatching a precise low shot past Christian Walton at the near post for his fourth goal of the season.

The situation worsened for Ipswich when Wes Burns was stretchered off after injuring his knee in a challenge with Gakpo. During the lengthy stoppage, Slot issued tactical adjustments through captain Virgil van Dijk, who was making his 300th appearance for Liverpool.

Those instructions bore fruit shortly after as Salah doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 34th minute. The Egyptian forward caused left-back Leif Davis all sorts of problems before delivering a cross-shot that Walton could only parry. The ball was worked back to Gakpo on the left, whose lofted cross found Salah. With remarkable composure, Salah controlled the ball with his right foot and rifled it into the roof of the net with his left from a tight angle.

Liverpool’s dominance was cemented just before half-time when Szoboszlai’s effort from Gravenberch’s pass was parried into Gakpo’s path. The Dutchman wasted no time in stabbing home the rebound, marking his sixth consecutive goalscoring appearance at Anfield.

Luis Díaz nearly added a fourth before the break, curling a shot narrowly wide and failing to connect with a diving header from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pinpoint cross.

Second Half: Liverpool in Full Control

Liverpool continued their dominance after the interval. In the 62nd minute, Alexander-Arnold delivered an exquisite lofted cross, which Gakpo headed beyond Walton to complete his brace.

Alexander-Arnold, instrumental throughout, came close to scoring himself, hitting the post with a long-range effort. Moments later, he rattled the woodwork again following excellent interplay with Salah.

The match briefly turned scrappy when Ipswich substitute Julio Enciso was booked for a reckless challenge on Wataru Endo. However, Liverpool's rhythm remained largely uninterrupted.

Ipswich mustered a rare attacking moment late on, with George Hirst forcing a fine save from Alisson Becker. In stoppage time, Jacob Greaves headed home from Enciso’s corner to secure a consolation goal, though it did little to change the outcome of a match Liverpool had dominated from start to finish.

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’).

Conclusion:

Liverpool’s emphatic performance leaves them firmly in control at the summit of the Premier League. Ipswich, by contrast, face an uphill battle to climb out of the relegation zone, with manager Kieran McKenna needing to find answers quickly to turn around their dismal form.