Two goals in five minutes just after the hour mark saw Liverpool win 2-0 at Portman Road to spoil Town’s return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence. After the Blues had more than held their own in the first half, Diogo Jota opened the scoring on 60, then Mo Salah, who had created the first, added the second five minutes later with the result never in doubt from there.
Town were without their first-choice keeper on the opening day for the second year running, with new signing Aro Muric absent having picked up a knock.
Christian Walton came into the league XI for the first time since the 2-2 draw at Fleetwood on the final day of 2022/23 in League One having made a brief sub appearance on the last day last season. Cieran Slicker was on the bench.
Otherwise, the team was fairly predictable with Axel Tuanzebe on the right of the defence, Leif Davis on the left and new signing Jacob Greaves partnering Luke Woolfenden in the centre.
In midfield, skipper Sam Morsy started alongside Massimo Luongo with the three ahead of them, from the right, Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Omari Hutchinson. Liam Delap was up front.
New signings Kalvin Phillips, Sammie Szmodics, Ben Johnson and Conor Townsend were all on the bench, along with Ali Al-Hamadi, Marcus Harness, Jack Taylor and Cameron Burgess.
For Liverpool, with manager Arne Slot taking charge for the first time, Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were among the starters but Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo were on the bench.
With Napoli midfielder Jens Cajuste, who is closing in on a loan move to the Blues having undergone a medical yesterday, watching from the directors’ box with his family and sponsor and now shareholder Ed Sheeran in his executive box along , Town defended an early Liverpool attack but then showed their threat, Hutchinson picking up a loose pass and hitting a shot which was blocked on the edge of the box.
On four, with Portman Road making plenty of noise on a very hot afternoon, Delap sent Burns away on the right, his pass losing some of its momentum as Andy Robertson got a toe to it, before the two collided and the Wales international ended up on the turf. As Town protested, referee Tim Robinson showed no interest and Burns got on the ball and a cross eventually flew beyond Davis at the other post.
Two minutes later, Woolfenden was shown the game’s first yellow card for hauling back Jota five yards outside the area.
Town, in front of a crowd of 30,014, were more than holding their own and were at times were dictating the play, while the Reds were a threat when breaking but with Salah yet to be found in behind despite a number of attempts. Debutant Greaves had already made a number important interceptions, blocks and towering headers.
On 13, Delap deftly took down a long pass forward but saw the ball taken away from him as he took the ball inside a defender to his right. Soon after, Hutchinson was harshly booked for a sliding challenge on Ryan Gravenberch.
Town were trying to play their way out from the back in the manner they have in League One and the Championship but without always managing to work their way through the Liverpool press.
On 20, Greaves rose highest to nod Morsy’s free-kick from the right goalwards but too close to Liverpool number one Alisson.
Three minutes later, Delap was felled when turning away from his man on the left, the Town crowd calling for a yellow card with referee Robinson having appeared more lenient with the visitors than with Town.
As if to illustrate the point, Burns was booked for an innocuous late challenge on Alexis Mac Allister moments later, the Argentinian appearing to make an awful lot out of very little.
Just after the half-hour mark, Chaplin did well to win a loose ball on the edge of the box following a Liverpool corner and Delap sent Hutchinson away. The Liverpool defence got back but Hutchinson cut inside and hit a low shot which Alisson saved down to his left.
There was a scare for the Blues in the 37th minute when Woolfenden intercepted a through ball as Liverpool counter-attacked but underhit his backpass to Walton. Fortunately, the keeper was off his line quickly and dived at Luis Diaz’s feet and claimed, taking a kick to the head for his trouble.
Town were next to threaten in the 41st minute. Davis took a quick free-kick in to Chaplin on the left of the box and the ex-Portsmouth man fed Hutchinson wide. The former loanee crossed and Tuanzebe looped a header onto the roof of the net but with Alisson never looking troubled.
A minute later, Delap brilliantly took down a long pass on the left touchline and with the same touch took himself beyond Jarell Quansah before being crowded out in the box but winning Town’s first corner.
As the game moved towards the end of the scheduled first 45 minutes, Liverpool for the first time had the ball for a sustained period around the Town box but Alexander-Arnold’s strike flew well over.
After a minute of time added on, referee Robinson’s whistle was greeted by warm applause from the Town support, delighted with the manner in which their side had acquitted themselves in their first 45 minutes of Premier League football for 22 years.
The Blues, with their last top-flight scorer Darren Bent watching on while on media duty, had never looked overawed or daunted by their more illustrious opponents and had prevented them from creating anything significant during the first period with Greaves’s header the most notable chance for either side. Liverpool had been prevented from managing a shot on target.
The visitors made a change ahead of the second half with Ibrahima Konate replacing Quansah.
There was an early minor goalmouth scramble in the Town area from a Liverpool corner but eventually Delap used his physicality to get the ball away from danger.
On 48, Diaz, brought the ball in from the left but blazed miles over the bar with the 3,000 Liverpool fans making themselves heard for the first time.
A minute later, the Reds’ press forced Town to give away a throw on their right after a series of risky-looking passes in their own area.
After a slow start to the half from the Blues, they got back into it and in the 54th minute claimed a penalty when Delap was clearly felled by Van Dijk as he chased a pass from Hutchinson on the left of the area.
The incident led to the first use of VAR at Town and fairly quickly it was established that Davis had been offside earlier in the move.
Liverpool went close within a minute of the game getting under way, Diaz looping the ball over the bar having made a run in-behind and claiming a penalty which never came.
The Blues were subsequently forced into a change, Burns making way having appeared to pick up something earlier in the half and Johnson making his
Town were starting to come sustained under pressure for the first time with Dominik Szoboszlai and Mac Allister seeing goalbound shots blocked, then Jota flicking a header from a cross just wide, a chance he will feel he should have taken.
But on the hour, Jota took his next opportunity. Salah was superbly played in behind Davis by Alexander-Arnold and turned it inside to the Portuguese international, who confidently beat Walton.
Having conceded, Town began to look more ragged than earlier in the game with Liverpool threatening to score with every attack.
The Blues swapped Luongo and Chaplin for Taylor and Harness but before the subs could make an impact, Town were 2-0 down.
Salah was again found with a ball behind Davis and the Egyptian international played a one-two before slipping it past Walton.
The Blues had what was a rare spell threatening at the other end with Hutchinson eventually volleying over before Liverpool went close again.
Diaz was played in on the left of the area and Walton was out quickly to drive him wide. With the goal gaping, Diaz failed to find Salah and the danger was averted.
On 71, Salah was again played in down the middle but shot straight at Walton. At the other end, Harness shot over but having been flagged offside.
Three minutes later, Town swapped the impressive Delap for Al-Hamadi and Tuanzebe for Szmodics, then on 77 Liverpool switched Alexander-Arnold for Conor Bradley and two minutes later Jota was replaced by Gakpo and Robertson by Kostas Tsimikas.
As the game moved into its final 10 minutes, Morsy threaded through Al-Hamadi but the Iraqi scuffed his shot and Alisson saved down to his left but with the flag already raised.
On 86, Al-Hamadi hit a shot which deflected wide from a Szmodics flick but again the linesman raised his flag.
