Liverpool continued their march to the Premier League title as they beat Ipswich Town 4-1 at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds were dominant in the first half, taking the lead after little more than 10 minutes when Dominik Szoboszlai struck from the edge of the box.
Mohamed Salah scored his 19th Premier League goal of the season before Cody Gakpo capped off an excellent first 45 minutes, and the Dutchman managed to grab a second after the hour mark.
Jacob Greaves scored a consolation goal from a corner late on, and though the hosts had already made a number of changes, captain Virgil van Dijk will be disappointed that his side failed to keep a clean sheet.
Salah has now scored 176 goals in the Premier League and has overtaken Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to climb to seventh in the all-time scoring charts.
The result means Arne Slot's Reds have 53 points and are six points clear of second-placed Arsenal with a game in hand, while Ipswich remain in 18th place with 16 points, though they are level on points with 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
© Imago
It is baffling that Liverpool's hierarchy have not yet managed to extend Salah's contract, especially as the Egyptian has now scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists in the league alone.
The Reds are still in an incredibly strong position from which to win the Premier League, but the more Salah scores and the more Liverpool win, the greater the chance his contract renewal could become somewhat of a distraction.
Regardless, the winger seems determined to carry his side to the finish line, and Liverpool's lead at the top of the table is so commanding that perhaps Slot can now focus on trying to win silverware on multiple fronts.
As for Ipswich, their position in the table is not irrecoverable, but boss Kieran McKenna must address his side's defensive frailty given they have conceded 10 goals in their last two games.
LIVERPOOL VS. IPSWICH TOWN HIGHLIGHTS
11th min: Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich Town (Dominik Szoboszlai)
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Ibrahima Konate picks up the ball in acres of space near the halfway line and threads a pass to Szoboszlai behind Ipswich's midfield before the Hungarian feints a pass to Salah and strikes from the edge of the box with his left foot into the bottom-right corner.
A quick start for the Reds!
35th min: Liverpool 2-0 Ipswich Town (Mohamed Salah)
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Gakpo collects the ball on the left flank near the edge of the box, and he cuts inside onto his right foot before swinging a cross to the back post, where Salah finds space to control the ball and smash it into the roof of the net.
That is 19 Premier League goals this season for Salah!
44th min: Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich Town (Cody Gakpo)
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Alexis Mac Allister regains possession near the halfway line and plays a pass out wide to Ryan Gravenberch on the right before the Dutchman fires a low cross into the penalty area for Szoboszlai, who shoots and see his shot rebound into the path of Gakpo and the forward sweeps home into an empty goal.
Game over!
66th min: Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich Town (Cody Gakpo)
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Trent Alexander-Arnold picks up the ball on the right flank deep in Ipswich's half, and he has all the time and space he needs to whip in a cross to Gakpo, who rises highest on the penalty spot to head home into the left side of the net.
An outrageous delivery!
90th min: Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich Town (Jacob Greaves)
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Julio Enciso could have been sent off for a foul on Wataru Endo earlier in the second half, but he stays on the pitch and takes a corner from the left, finding an onrushing Jacob Greaves, who loses marker Harvey Elliott before diving to meet the ball with his head at the back post.
MAN OF THE MATCH - CODY GAKPO
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Cody Gakpo's two goals against Ipswich meant he has scored five goals in his last six Premier League fixtures, while also providing two assists in that time.
His cross to Salah for Liverpool's third goal has become a signature move, with defenders finding it difficult to stop the Dutchman cutting inside onto his right foot.
LIVERPOOL VS. IPSWICH TOWN MATCH STATS
Possession: Liverpool 71%-29% Ipswich Town
Shots: Liverpool 16-2 Ipswich Town
Shots on target: Liverpool 6-3 Ipswich Town
Corners: Liverpool 3-4 Ipswich Town
Fouls: Liverpool 10-11 Ipswich Town
BEST STATS
Mo Salah has moved up to seventh in the all-time Premier League goalscoring chart, overtaking Thierry Henry! 7⃣#BBCFootball #LIVIPS pic.twitter.com/UroT1EDKAR
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 25, 2025
Mohamed Salah has now scored more Premier League goals than Thierry Henry and moves up to 7th in the all-time top goalscorer list.
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 25, 2025
He is also now the second highest scoring overseas player in the competition's history:
◎ 184 - Sergio Agüero
◉ 176 - Mohamed Salah
◎ 175 -... pic.twitter.com/QLG2ElweiU
Dominik Szoboszlai in the Prem:
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) January 25, 2025
10 G/A
6 Goals
4 Assists pic.twitter.com/4xk5xInrlR
WHAT NEXT?
Liverpool return to Champions League action on Wednesday against PSV Eindhoven before travelling to play Bournemouth away from home on February 1.
As for Ipswich, they are set to take part in a crucial relegation clash on February 1 against Southampton in the Premier League, before taking on Coventry City in the FA Cup on February 8.
Lewis Nolan
