Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah were on target as Brentford lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Díaz rounded off a quick counter attack to give the hosts an early lead, before Salah netted midway through the second half. Christian Nørgaard and Nathan Collins went closest for the Bees who fought hard on Merseyside but to no avail.
Keane Lewis-Potter replaced Kevin Schade as the Bees switched to 3-5-2 for their second fixture of the Premier League season.
Fábio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg, back in familiar surroundings having swapped Anfield for the Gtech this month, were named among the substitutes. Ivan Toney, for the second week running, was not involved.
The hosts took the lead with their first effort at goal. Ibrahima Konaté rose highest to head away Mathias Jensen’s corner and Diogo Jota wriggled free of Vitaly Janelt to begin a lightening Liverpool counter attack. The forward slid the ball beyond the Bees’ backline and into the path of Díaz, who took it in in his stride before firing beyond Mark Flekken.
The Reds immediately went in search of a second. Andy Robertson exchanged passes with Díaz on his way into the box and Flekken got down quickly at his near post to push the ball out for a corner. Salah, found by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the area, blazed over under pressure from Nathan Collins.
Just before the half-hour mark, Alexander-Arnold’s curling free-kick from 20 yards cleared the wall but also the crossbar.
The Bees had a big chance to level moments later. Nørgaard made a clever run to get in front of marker Jota but didn’t make clean contact with his header and the ball bounced wide of Alisson’s left post.
Jensen saw a speculative strike from outside the box sail wide and Konaté headed Roerslev’s first-time cross out for a corner under pressure from Kristoffer Ajer as Brentford found a foothold and began to ask some questions of their hosts.
On 41 minutes, Alexander-Arnold, in an advanced position on the right, received a pass from Alexis Mac Allister, cut in on his left and pulled the trigger. A mean deflection off Collins wrong-footed Flekken but the ball flew over the bar.
At the other end, in the final action of the half, Lewis-Potter brought down Jensen’s cross-field pass, skipped past Alexander-Arnold and tested Alisson with a low strike from 20 yards.
Shortly after the restart, Jota’s overhead kick was headed towards goal by Robertson and Flekken bravely clawed to safety.
On 51 minutes, the lively Lewis-Potter scampered from the left flank to the edge of the Reds’ box and played a short pass to Mbeumo. The forward shifted the ball on to his left and saw his shot blocked by Konaté.
Collins then met Jensen’s inviting first-time cross with a header at the back post, forcing Alisson into a smart stop.
Moments later, Collins made a crucial intervention at the other end. Mac Allister lifted ball into the area, Alexander-Arnold cushioned it down and the Republic of Ireland international sniffed out the danger to position himself between Jota and the goal and make a last-ditch block.
Just after the hour mark, Alexander-Arnold’s in-swinging corner struck Flekken’s near post. Liverpool recycled the ball, the full-back delivered another devilish cross into the box and Konaté headed straight at the keeper.
Flekken then made a superb stop to deny Díaz, who struck hard and low from in line with the penalty spot having been found by Salah.
But Liverpool weren’t to be denied a second. Mac Allister and Díaz combined to tee up Salah, who coolly lifted the ball over the on-rushing Flekken and into the back of the net.
During the final 10 minutes, Collins was again in the right place at the right time to prevent Liverpool from extending their advantage, diverting substitute Cody Gakpo’s powerful drive from the edge of the box on to the crossbar.
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Bradley 72), Konaté, van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch (Endo 90+1), Mac Allister; Salah, Jota (Núñez 72), Díaz (Gakpo 72)
Subs not used: Kelleher, Gomez, Elliott, Tsimikas, Quansah
Subs not used: Valdimarsson, van den Berg, Mee, Yarmoliuk, Trevitt
Frank: Our best half of football at Anfield
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank assessed his side’s defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, where he was particularly pleased with the Bees’ first-half performance on Merseyside.
“It was a game of two halves. First half, I thought we were very good and it was very even – it was a good match actually,” said Frank.
“We pressed well, we defended well and we limited Liverpool; they basically had nothing besides their goal, which came from our corner.
“We were this close to the first contact and then lost the 50/50 on the edge of the box – we have to deal with those situations better.
“Second half, we were still in it – we had the Nathan Collins chance from the corner, which shows we are a constant threat – but then they score and then it’s very difficult.
“We lost fair and square, but the first half was our best half of football here at Anfield.”
Lewis-Potter finds positives
Keane Lewis-Potter stressed that there were positives to take from Brentford’s performance at Anfield.
“It’s a tough one to take,” he said.
“We spoke about the need to stop their transitions, and the first goal was a transition from our corner.
“But we caused them a few problems, particularly during the first half on set-pieces. In the second half, Nathan [Collins] had a header that could have changed the game completely.
“The positives are there from the first half. We defended well and we did have chances.”
Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as they secured a 2-0 win over Brentford at Anfield.
It took until the 13th minute for the Reds to go ahead when Diogo Jota found Luis Díaz to finish off an incisive counter-attack, after Ibrahima Konaté and Mohamed Salah won important duels from a Brentford corner.
Liverpool maintained control throughout the rest of the first half without creating any further significant chances, while Konate was required to put in an important header to clear the danger before the break.
Andrew Robertson almost doubled the lead minutes after the restart with a powerful header that was palmed away from the near post by Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Alisson was next to be called into action as he denied a Nathan Collins header in the 56th minute.
Arne Slot’s side responded well to that moment as they went on to create a flurry of opportunities, and it was Salah who finished calmly following a perfectly timed run behind the line to double the lead.
Cody Gakpo came closest to scoring a third goal from the bench with his effort from outside of the box that was deflected onto the bar, and the Reds looked comfortable as they played out the remainder of the game.
Positives
Liverpool were well worth the win after an excellent second-half display. There were also positive signs of link-up between the forward line, with Jota, Diaz and Salah looking to find each other frequently.
Negatives
Liverpool didn’t create much in the first half outside of the counter and were too slow at times.
Manager rating (1-10; 10 = best)
Arne Slot, 6 — A perfect start from Slot, whose name was sung by The Kop after Liverpool went 2-0 up. His changes at half-time had a clear impact, with the Reds noticeably more dangerous after the restart.
Player ratings
GK Alisson, 6 – Calm when playing out from the back, he made an important save against Nathan Collins who rose above the Liverpool defence to head on target.
DF Andrew Robertson, 7 – Unlucky not to score from two promising chances, with the best a close-range header just minutes into the second half. Positioned intelligently throughout the game, sometimes coming inside to create space for Diaz out wide.
DF Virgil van Dijk, 6 – The Liverpool captain organised his defence well, which pushed up and dropped off at the right times to keep the opposition at bay.
DF Ibrahima Konate, 7 – An assured performance from Konate, who won the header that began Liverpool’s counter, before winning another important duel to deny a Brentford chance.
DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 6 – The 25-year-old defended well when challenged by Brentford winger Keane Lewis-Potter and looked to play progressively in advanced areas.
MF Ryan Gravenberch, 7 – Calm in possession, but picked up a yellow card close to the break for a poorly timed challenge. Another bright performance from the Netherlands international from the No. 6 position and he broke up play well in the middle of the pitch.
MF Alexis Mac Allister, 6 – Liverpool’s World Cup-winning midfielder was quiet in the first half, but had more of an impact after the restart as he began to find space and thread the ball into dangerous areas.
MF Dominik Szoboszlai, 6 – Pressed well and worked hard to track back, while showing some neat pieces of link-up play in central areas. He almost caught the goalkeeper out when hitting the post from a corner.
FW Luis Diaz, 8 – The Colombia international was direct with his runs behind the line and finished with conviction for the opener, with an effort that was too strong for Flekken to handle. He registered the assist for Salah’s goal with a well-timed pass.
FW Diogo Jota, 7 – A perfectly weighted pass from Jota allowed Diaz to take the ball in stride before finishing for the opener. He almost got a second assist when picking out Robertson at the back post in the second half.
FW Mohamed Salah, 7 – At the heart of a number of positive Liverpool chances, he was difficult for the opposition to pick up. Began to run inside much more in the second half which caused problems for the defence, eventually scoring to make it 2-0 with a precise left-footed finish.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
Darwin Núñez (Jota, 72″), N/R – Linked play well when dropping deep before making direct runs in behind the line.
Cody Gakpo (Diaz, 72″), N/R – Came close with a powerful effort outside of the box that was deflected onto the crossbar.
Conor Bradley (Alexander-Arnold, 73″), N/R – The Northern Ireland international manager was at Anfield on Sunday afternoon to see Bradley’s cameo, as the 21-year-old gave another positive account of himself when coming on for Alexander-Arnold.
Harvey Elliott (Salah, 83″), N/R – Elliott was deployed on the right flank in a direct replacement for Salah, and he almost made a quick impact with a dangerous cross towards the 6-yard box.
Wataru Endo (Gravenberch, 90+1,) N/R – Introduced for the final four minutes of injury time.
Follow live coverage as Manchester City face Ipswich Town today in the Premier League. Reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
City are hoping to build on their impressive 2-0 victory over Chelsea last time out after goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic get the champions off to a winning start to this campaign. Pep Guardiola has re-signed Ilkay Gundogan in the hopes that his former captain can bring an added layer of stability and experience to City’s midfield but it remains to be seen if the German will feature this afternoon.
For Ipswich, their return to the top-flight ended in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool after a solid opening 45 minutes at Portman Road. It’s another incredibly tough fixture for the newly promoted side but they will be hoping to spring a surprise of the champions.
Follow all the action from the Etihad Stadium below:
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town LIVE: Premier League updates
GOAL! Haaland adds his second with fine volley (MCI 3-1 IPS)
GOAL! Kevin de Bruyne puts the hosts into the lead after pressing high (MCI 2-1 IPS)
GOAL! Erling Haaland scores penalty to equalise (MCI 1-1 IPS)
Man City make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League this season, but they had to come from behind to secure a 4-1 victory. Ipswich took a surprise lead on seven minutes, after they caught City out on the break and Szmodics beat Ederson, who probably should’ve done better. City then retaliated with three goals within the space of four minutes to fire themselves ahead. The first through Haaland from the penalty spot, followed by a goal from De Bruyne after a mistake by Muric in the Ipswich goal. Before Haaland got his second when De Bruyne turned provider this time and the striker rounded Muric and found the back of the net. The woodwork saved Ipswich on two occasions, after Lewis and De Bruyne struck the bar late on in the first half. City continued to dominate the second period, but didn’t score their fourth until the 88th minute, when Haaland wrapped up his hat-trick with a fine strike from the edge of the box. Next up for City is a trip to West Ham, while Ipswich still search for their first points of the season, they’ll welcome Fulham to Portman Road. We hope you enjoyed the game, until next time!
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
17:02
FULL-TIME: MAN CITY 4-1 IPSWICH
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:59
Yellow Card Jack Peter Grealish
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:59
Plenty of additional time as been indicated by the fourth official, but this game is surely wrapped up for City now.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:57
Yellow Card Ali Ibrahim Karim Al-Hamadi
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:54
Substitution Kevin De Bruyne Matheus Luiz Nunes
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:54
Substitution Erling Braut Haaland James John McAtee
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:54
Substitution Axel Tuanzebe Samuel George Alan Edmundson
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:54
Substitution Omari Elijah Giraud-Hutchinson Conor Mark Chaplin
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:51
Goal Erling Braut Haaland
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:51
City have won a few corners in recent minutes, with De Bruyne whipping them into the box, but Ipswich have done well to clear the danger and prevent any more City opportunities.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:50
If Ipswich can pull a goal back now it would make for a very interesting final few minutes, but Ederson has hardly touched the ball in this second half. He’s had very little to do all game.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:46
Substitution Liam Rory Delap Ali Ibrahim Karim Al-Hamadi
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:46
De Bruyne has been excellent for City today, a goal and an assist for the midfielder, who has been involved in everything in attack for the hosts, a constant threat.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:44
As we head into the final 10 minutes of the game, it’s City who lead 3-1 and despite numerous chances to extend their lead, Ipswich have held firm in this second period.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:43
Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna is the 14th different manager whose first ever Premier League away game comes against the reigning champions. None of the previous 13 have won (D2 L11), with Mark McGhee (1-1 v Man Utd in 1994) and Claudio Ranieri (3-3 v Man Utd in 2000) the only ones to earn a point.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:41
Ipswich manage to get the ball in the City penalty area, but it’s very scrappy and no one can get a good hold of the ball, so it bounces dangerously off four or five players, before Gvardiol finally clears.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:40
GREAT CHANCE! De Bruyne races in behind the Ipswich defence as a long ball is played through and he unselfishly tries to feed Haaland in the box, but his pass is a bit behind the striker, which allows Ipswich he chance to get a foot in. The second ball falls to De Bruyne, but he smashes it high over the bar.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:36
Substitution Samuel Joseph Szmodics Marcus Anthony Myers-Harness
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:35
Substitution Massimo Corey Luongo Jack Henry Philip Taylor
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:35
Substitution Jérémy Baffour Doku İlkay Gündoğan
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:34
Good block! De Bruyne whips a low corner into the box, which is met by Bernardo Silva, but his effort is fired into the legs of an Ipswich defender and the visitors manage to clear the danger.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:33
It looks like City are getting ready to make another change, with Grealish one of those getting ready on the sidelines. Gundogan could also come on to mark his return to City, following his transfer from Barcelona.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:30
GREAT SAVE! Muric with a fantastic stop to deny Haaland his hat-trick! Ipswich fail to clear a corner and De Bruyne whips a cross in from the right wing, which Haaland meets at the back post and powers a header towards the top right corner of the net. However, Muric gets a good hand to it, to tip it over the bar.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:27
It’ll be interesting to see when the Ipswich coaching staff decide to make some changes, you’d think they would be looking at some soon as we pass the hour mark and the score remains 3-1.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:25
Despite the scoreline, the visiting supporters are making a lot of noise in the away section of the Etihad, urging their side forward when they can get on the ball.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:22
Yellow Card Rúben dos Santos Gato Alves Dias
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:21
Delap is perhaps a bit lucky to get away with just a warning from the referee after he dives into Bernardo Silva and catches him late. The former City striker has had a tough afternoon up front for the Tractor Boys.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:18
Yellow Card Samuel Joseph Szmodics
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:18
City are unbeaten in their last 44 home games in all competitions (W37 D7) since a 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. It’s the eighth longest such run among English top-flight clubs in history, and longest since Chelsea’s run of 74 between February 2006 and October 2008.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:16
We haven’t got up to the electric pace that we saw in the first half so far in the second period. But it’s still City seeing much more of the ball and looking to extend their lead.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:14
City have a few options on the bench to replace Kovacic, but it’s Stones who comes on to replace the midfielder.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:12
Kovacic is down on the pitch for City, he seems to be struggling with an injury after a coming together with Delap. He may have to come off, but is receiving medical treatment at the moment.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:08
The second half is under way!
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
16:01
City will be confident of scoring a few more after the break, although Ipswich did manage to grow into the game towards the end of the half and had a penalty shout of their own, when Davis was brought down by Savinho, but nothing was given.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:59
HALF-TIME: MAN CITY 3-1 IPSWICH
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:59
Ipswich took a shock lead after just seven minutes here at the Etihad, after a quick counter allowed Szmodics through on goal and he beat Ederson, who should’ve done better. However, their lead lasted just five minutes, after Savinho was brought down by Davis in the box and Haaland coolly converted the resulting penalty following a VAR check. A huge error in goal by Muric then handed De Bruyne a golden opportunity to make it 2-1 just two minutes later, which he gladly took. Before Haaland got his second on 16 minutes after racing in behind the Ipswich defence, rounding Muric and sending the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-1. City could’ve scored a few more, but the woodwork denied both Lewis and De Bruyne to Ipswich’s delight.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:53
City fancy getting another goal before the break, they are camped inside the Ipswich half of the pitch at the moment, who surely want the half-time whistle to blow sooner rather than later.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:53
CHANCE! City almost make it four just before the break, with Doku getting to the byline down the left wing and he pulls the ball back to De Bruyne in the six yard box. However, he fires it over the crossbar! He should’ve done better from there.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:51
We’re a minute into an additional five added on at the end of the first half, after the lengthy VAR check prior to the City penalty.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:48
This is a positive end to the half for Ipswich, they are seeing a bit more of the ball in the City half. However, they can’t seem to keep it for long enough to cause Ederson any problems.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:47
PENALTY SHOUT! Ipswich this time are appealing for a penalty! They manage to work the ball into the City final third, with Davis skipping inside from the left and racing into the box. The left-back then goes down under pressure from Lewis and Savinho, with the latter barging into the back of him. However, the referee isn’t interested and nothing is given.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:43
There’s not long left to play until the break now, will we see any more goals before the half-time whistle?
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:40
Into the wall! De Bruyne steps up to take a free-kick on the edge of the box, but he doesn’t get enough on it and the Ipswich wall do its job well.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:39
Morsy is shown the first yellow card of the game after he brings Savinho down in a dangerous position on the edge of the box.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:38
Stoppage in play here at the moment as Hutchinson is down on the pitch receiving some medical treatment, but it looks like the winger should be fine to continue.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:36
City have won 17 of their last 18 Premier League games against promoted sides (D1) since a 2-1 home loss to Leeds in April 2021.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:34
City could have scored five or six goals already here, they look excellent in attack so far today, with Ipswich struggling to keep them out of the final third.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:34
ANOTHER OFF THE BAR! This time it’s De Bruyne who strikes the woodwork! The midfielder is allowed far too much time and space on the edge of the box and he drills a superb effort towards the top right corner of the net. However, it cannons off the bar!
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:32
OFF THE BAR! Almost a fourth for City! They open up the visitors once again down the left wing through Doku and Ipswich fail to clear the danger, with the ball falling to Lewis deep inside the box. However, he can only power his strike against the crossbar! So close.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:29
Ipswich are continuing to try and play out from the back, but City are playing with a high press and really putting them under pressure, so it is proving difficult for the visitors.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:28
The pace of the game has dropped in the last couple of minutes after such a frantic opening period. They are keeping the ball well in the Ipswich half.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:25
Ipswich need to regroup and try and keep the ball a bit, get their composure back after a tough 10 minutes or so. City on the other hand look in complete control.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:25
Ipswich lost 2-0 against Liverpool in their opening match of 2024-25 – not since 2006-07 in the Championship have they started a league season with two straight defeats, while they last did so in the top-flight in 1985-86.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:24
What an opening we’ve had to this game! A remarkable turnaround by City after Ipswich took a shock lead. Some questionable defending by the visitors though, they can’t be happy with what’s gone on.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:19
Goal Erling Braut Haaland
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:17
Assist Sávio Moreira de Oliveira
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:16
Goal Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:16
CITY PENALTY! The referee takes his time watching the video replay of the incident, but after what seems like ages, he finally points to the penalty spot. City have the chance to equalise.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:15
PENALTY CHECK! Savinho races past Davis down the left and just sneaks into the penalty area, with the Ipswich left-back just sticking out a leg and Savinho goes to ground. VAR are taking a look at this one, it looked like he got the player rather than the ball.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:14
Penalty Goal Erling Braut Haaland
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:14
That’s shocked the home support at the Etihad, the Ipswich goal has come against the run of play, but they won’t mind one bit!
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:10
Goal Samuel Joseph Szmodics
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:10
Assist Benjamin Anthony Johnson
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:10
A lot of City’s play is coming down the left early on, with Gvardiol playing high up the pitch in an almost winger position. They look dangerous down that side.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:08
PENALTY SHOUT! Doku releases Gvardiol in behind the Ipswich defence down the left and he plays a low cross into the box. However, Muric manages to get a touch on it, before Greaves and Haaland battle to get to the ball first, which results in both of them on the floor and Muric gratefully pounces on the loose ball. Haaland immediately appeals for a penalty, but the referee isn’t interested.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:05
As you might expect it’s City who are controlling possession early on, with Ipswich having to get everyone back behind the ball to defend in numbers. City just probing in the visitors half at the moment.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
15:02
Here we go! Ipswich get is under way!
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:59
The teams are out here at the Etihad, so kick-off is just a few minutes away! Stay tuned for all the match action.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:59
This will be Ipswich’s first ever meeting with City at the Etihad Stadium – they won their last two visits to Maine Road, winning a Premier League game 3-2 in November 2000 and a League Cup tie 2-1 the following month.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:54
Meanwhile Kieran McKenna has made three changes to his side, with Johnson, Szmodics and Muric all coming into the starting line-up, as Walton, Burns and Chaplin drop to the bench. Delap makes his return to the Etihad after joining the Tractor Boys from City earlier this Summer.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:49
Pep Guardiola names the same starting XI that beat Chelsea, but there is a change on the bench after City confirmed the return of Gundogan from Barcelona yesterday in time for the midfielder to take his place among the substitutes today. Rodri still isn’t up to full fitness, so he misses out.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:46
IPSWICH SUBS: George Edmundson, Conor Chaplin, Marcus Harness, Jens Cajuste, Jack Taylor, Cameron Burgess, Ali Al-Hamadi, Conor Townsend, Christian Walton.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:46
IPSWICH (5-4-1): Arijanet Muric; Leif Davis, Jacob Greaves, Luke Woolfenden, Axel Tuanzebe, Ben Johnson; Sam Szmodics, Massimo Luongo, Sam Morsy, Omari Hutchinson; Liam Delap
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:45
MAN CITY SUBS: Kyle Walker, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Jack Grealish, Stefan Ortega, Ilkay Gundogan, Matheus Nunes, Issa Kabore, James McAtee.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:44
MAN CITY (3-1-4-1): Ederson; Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji; Mateo Kovacic, Rico Lewis; Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Savinho; Erling Haaland.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:38
Meanwhile newly promoted Ipswich travel to the Etihad looking for their first Premier League points of the season, having been beaten 2-0 at Portman Road by Liverpool on the opening day.
14:34
Manchester City got their title defence off to a winning start last weekend, with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge thanks to a goal from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic also got on the scoresheet against his former side.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
14:30
Hello and welcome to our LIVE match commentary of the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Ipswich Town at the Etihad.
Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
13:00
Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
Second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah allowed new Liverpool coach Arne Slot to get off to a 2-0 winning start at newly promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.
Slot’s new side improved markedly after the break, taking the lead on the hour mark through Jota, before a fine move was finished off by Egyptian forward Salah five minutes later to effectively kill off the Ipswich challenge.
Liverpool had a host of chances to make the result even more emphatic, but getting two goals was enough to navigate Liverpool and Slot past a tricky first game of the campaign.
“Hopefully I keep going like this for the whole season,” Salah told TNT Sports after the game. “I always try to help the team all the time, I’m always happy to score goals or assist.
“It’s quite different for all of us [playing under Slot]; we need to adapt. We just need to know his way of playing and enjoy the football. We don’t need to put more pressure on him; we just need to play football and enjoy our games.”
Mo Salah scored on the opening day of the season for the ninth time.
Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images
In January, Jürgen Klopp shocked the world when he announced he would step down as Liverpool manager at the end of last season, with the German saying his goodbyes to an emotional Anfield on the final day of the campaign.
The man with the formidable task of replacing Klopp, who won a Champions League and ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a league title during his time in England, is former Feyenoord boss Slot.
A quiet preseason, with Liverpool yet to sign a single player during the close-season transfer window while their rivals have been splashing the cash, had some supporters worried ahead of the new campaign.
Their side’s first-half performance in the Suffolk sunshine, where the visitors could not muster a single shot on target, added to those concerns.
Slot’s side clicked into gear after the break, however, carving open their opponents with two fine goals, the first finished off by Jota after a pinpoint Trent Alexander-Arnold pass set Salah free before he squared for the Portugal international.
With Ipswich still regrouping, Salah, in his 350th appearance for the club in all competitions, netted superbly after being played in by Dominik Szoboszlai to seal the victory.
Salah now has more goals in the opening rounds of Premier League seasons than anyone else, and the 32-year-old forward looks set to play a major part in another Liverpool title tilt this term.
Manchester United and Fulham kicked off the 2024-25 Premier League season on Friday, and United won 1-0 at Old Trafford on a late goal by Joshua Zirkzee.
In a bit of scheduling coincidence, the owners of the two clubs will square off again Saturday on the other kind of football field, as the Glazer family’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Jacksonville Jaguars, owned by Shahid Khan, in an NFL preseason game.
The Glazers and Khan are among nine American ownership groups of Premier League teams, which will have a full slate of games this weekend. The list includes newly promoted Ipswich Town, which is owned by American financial firms ORG, Bright Path Sports Partners and Avenue Sports. They are all chasing Manchester City, which has finished atop the EPL standings for four straight years.
The second division Championship also has nine teams controlled by Americans after Mark Attanasio recently increased his stake in Norwich City through his Norfolk Holdings, which first took a stake in the team in 2022 and will now own 85%.
Americans have invested heavily in English football teams over the past two decades, starting with Malcolm Glazer’s leveraged buyout in 2005 that valued Man United at £790 million ($1.4 billion at the time). Stan Kroenke started buying shares of Arsenal in 2007 and took full control in 2011 at a $1.2 billion valuation.
Man United ranked on top of Sportico’s global soccer team valuations at $6.2 billion, while Arsenal was eighth at $3.91 billion.
In 2010, John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool for £300 million ($476 million at the time). FSG built a strong performer on and off the field, including three Champions League finals appearances in five years. The value is up more than tenfold to $5.11 billion and fourth overall.
Attanasio also owns MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers and follows a string of U.S. sports team owners to invest in the UK. They are attracted by the global reach of the clubs, but most of them want to see more restrictions on player spending, akin to the major leagues in North America. The lack of salary caps can trigger massive losses as teams spend in a fight to avoid relegation or gain promotion to the Premier League. At the top of the financial table, teams compete for a Champions League spot and to field the best squads to advance in European tournaments.
Only five English Premier League teams out of 20 made money after player trading during the 2022-23 season. The aggregate loss before taxes and finance costs was £530 million ($684 million based on current exchange rates), according to company filings. The NFL’s pre-tax profit: $4.6 billion.
Khan’s team investments offer a window into the economic structure of different sports leagues. In 2011, he spent $770 million to buy the Jaguars. The club turns a hefty profit each season that can top $100 million in a good year, and the Jags are now worth nearly $5 billion.
Two years after buying Jacksonville, Khan bought EPL club Fulham for more than $200 million. Fulham was relegated to the Championship the following season, where it has spent six of 11 seasons under Khan. He has piled up $500 million in operating losses in the London club, and the team is likely worth one-tenth of the Jaguars.
The lousy economic model that exists across European soccer explains why Manchester United and Real Madrid are the only soccer teams to crack the top 30 among the world’s most valuable sports franchises, which skews heavily toward the NFL with its strict salary cap and $400 million-a-year TV checks, along with a few NBA and MLB teams mixed in.
Americans can’t kick their UK soccer habit, though. Brit Steve Parish runs Crystal Palace, but American John Textor owns the largest stake at 45%, and private equity titans Josh Harris and David Blitzer each own 18%.
Textor wants his own UK club to control and has entered exclusive talks to buy Everton from Farhad Moshiri after a pair of failed attempts to buy the club by American firms 777 and Friedkin Group. Everton lost $107 million during the 2022-23 season, its sixth straight year of losses that totaled $623 million, based on current exchange rates. The club escaped relegation on the last day of the 2022-23 season and finished 15th last year. Yet still, there’s a Yank who wants to purchase it.
