Mohamed Salah scored his 100th Premier League goal for Liverpool fc at Anfield but it was the 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town which was more significant as Arne Slot's side maintained their stranglehold at the top of the table.
Salah's 19th league goal of the season and 176th ever in the competition, which puts him just one behind sixth-placed Frank Lampard (177) on the list of its all-time scorers, came in between strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo as the visitors were clinically exposed in the first half.
Gakpo headed in a fourth just past the hour to afford Slot the luxury of resting the forward, fellow Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai with 25 minutes remaining.
Ten-man Arsenal kept within six points, albeit having played a game more, with a win at struggling Wolves but third-placed Nottingham Forest fell nine behind after defeat at Bournemouth.
Ipswich, who have now lost eight of the last 11 league matches, did not manage a shot until the hour mark and got off lightly in some respects as had their hosts - for whom this was the first of six games in 18 days in four competitions - not eased off the intensity it could easily have been a repeat of last week's humiliation at Manchester City.
Relive all of the action from Anfield in our live blog below:
Liverpool vs Ipswich LIVE
- Liverpool comfortably beat Ipswich 4-1 in the Premier League
- The Reds stay six points clear at the top as Cody Gakpo scores twice to lead the charge
- Ipswich stay in the bottom three afer back-to-back big defeats
- 90' - GOAL! Greaves heads in consolation goal (LIV 4-1 IPS)
- 67' - GOAL! Gakpo nods in Alexander-Arnold's cross (LIV 4-0 IPS)
- 44' - GOAL! Gakpo on hand to tap in rebound from Szoboszlai show (LIV 3-0 IPS)
- 35' - GOAL! Salah produces neat finish at the back post (LIV 2-0 IPS)
- 11' - GOAL! Szoboszlai fires home to give Reds the lead (LIV 1-0 IPS)
Liverpool FC 4 - 1 Ipswich Town FC
Liverpool breeze past Ipswich to keep distance at top of table
17:20
FULL-TIME! Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich
16:59 , Will CastleLiverpool overcome Ipswich in very convincing fashion to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League tables.
Cody Gakpo bagged his second of the game to extend Liverpool’s lead to four after the break, before Jacob Greaves headed home a late consolation for the visitors.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah were also among the goals in the first half.
A near-perfect display from Arne Slot’s high-flying Reds.
Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich
16:58 , Will Castle90+4 mins: Broadhead skips past his man and whips in a cross, Van Dijk clears to concede a corner.
Ipswich finishing strong here. Anfield still in full voice.
Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich
16:57 , Will Castle90+1 mins: Alisson will be furious with the setup of that corner which has in the end cost him his clean sheet.
For some reason, Harvey Elliott - the smallest man on the pitch - was marking big Jacob Greaves. A complete mismatch so no wonder Greaves was able to escape his man and head home.
Five minutes of added time indicated by the fourth official.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Ipswich
16:55 , Will Castle90 mins: GOAL! And Ipswich do get one back!
Enciso whips in the corner and Jacob Greaves heads home from very close range to give the travelling fans something to cheer about.
It’s purely a consolation at this stage, but a goal at Anfield? The Tractor Boys will take that.
Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:52 , Will Castle85 mins: SAVE! Ipswich nearly get one back.
Hirst gets away from Van Dijk and has a free header in the centre of the box, but his effort is well saved by a strong hand from Alisson.
One last substitution for Liverpool as Federico Chiesa prepares to come on in place of Luis Diaz.
Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:49 , Will Castle83 mins: Enciso has already grabbed attention by nearly getting sent off, but he was actually one of four subs a few minutes ago.
Broadhead and Hirst also come on for Ipswich in place of Philogene and Delap, while Liverpool bring on Jayden Danns for Mac Allister.
Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:47 , Will Castle80 mins: Enciso has been on the pitch for not shy of 60 seconds, but he could have easily been sent for an earth bath there.
Enciso goes flying in body-first and absolutely clatters into Endo. Yellow card given - but if the referee pulled out a red, there’s no way that’s getting overturned.
Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:43 , Will Castle78 mins: OFF THE POST! Salah skips past his man into the box and cuts it back towards Alexander-Arnold, whose curling effort rattles the woodwork.
Once again, Walton wasn’t getting near that. So nearly five for the Reds.
Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:40 , Will Castle75 mins: CLOSE! Alexander-Arnold lets a viscous effort fly from range - it’s bending and dipping, and just goes wide of the top-left corner.
That had Walton worried in goal. Nearly one of the goals of the season.
Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:37 , Will Castle72 mins: Salah gives the ball away to Delap who tries to release Philogene on the counter.
Alexander-Arnold beats the winger for pace and passes back to Alisson to mop up.
GOAL STANDS! Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:33 , Will Castle67 mins: The goal is good!
Gakpo is the man in form at Anfield and he’s got his second of the afternoon.
That’ll be his last contribution of the afternoon as he makes way for Darwin Nunez. Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott also enter the fray in place of Gravenberch and Szoboszlai.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-0 Ipswich
16:30 , Will Castle66 mins: GOAL! It’s another for Cody Gakpo!
Alexander-Arnold whips in a trademark cross and Gakpo is there to meet it, heading home from the edge of the six-yard box. Undefendable delivery, unstoppable finish.
However, there is a VAR check going on for a potential offside...
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:28 , Will Castle64 mins: Lovely backheel from Szoboszlai to play Alexander-Arnold into space in the box. His cross hits the body of an Ipswich man, causing half-hearted handball appeals from those in red.
Szoboszlai is loving it out there today.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:24 , Will Castle60 mins: First effort of the game for Ipswich as Omari Hutchinson fires a left-footed shot from the outside of the box, saved in the middle of the goal by Alisson.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:23 , Will Castle58 mins: Heart-in-mouth moment for Ipswich as Tuanzebe and Walton have a mix-up when trying to deal with an Alexander-Arnold delivery, leaving the goal gaping.
Luckily, it’s a blue shirt that gets there first to clear.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:21 , Will Castle55 mins: It’s all going Liverpool’s way at the top of the table at the moment.
Arsenal, down to 10 men, are being held at Wolves, while Nottingham Forest are three goals down away to high-flying Bournemouth.
As things stand, the Reds will go eight points clear come the end of the day.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:18 , Will Castle53 mins: Liam Delap receives the ball and appears to get goalside of Konate, but the Frenchman is just too fast and strong - even for a striker of his stature - barging Delap off the ball.
Some appeals for a penalty but the referee is having none of it.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:15 , Will Castle51 mins: Szoboszlai whips in a corner that just evades the head of Van Dijk.
Ipswich try to counter attack but can’t even get the ball out of their own half. The visitors are yet to register an effort on Alisson’s goal.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:11 , Will Castle48 mins: Liverpool immediately looking to add to their lead as Luis Diaz dances to the byline before trying to cut the ball back, only for his pass to be intercepted by a blue shirt.
Then moments later on the other wing, Salah slips one through for Szoboszlai who flashes one across goal to no receivers.
BACK UNDERWAY! Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:09 , Will Castle46 mins: Ipswich get things started for the second half.
One substitution to note - Conor Townsend replaces Leif Davis for Kieran McKenna’s side.
HALF-TIME! Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
16:02 , Will CastleA disastrous 45 minutes for Ipswich who will probably be thinking more about damage control at the break, rather than looking for a way to get back into this.
They’re three goals down having been roundly dominated across the park - but what would’ve stung the most was the withdrawal of Wes Burns, who appeared to pick up a serious knee injury.
Burns has been at the heart of Ipswich’s rise through the leagues in recent years, an integral part of Kieran McKenna’s setup.
However, that might be the Welshman’s season over.
HALF-TIME! Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
15:54 , Will CastleIt’s one-way traffic at Anfield as Liverpool go into the break three goals to the good against Ipswich.
Dominik Szoboszlai delightfully fired home to open the scoring before neat finishes from Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo added to the Reds’ advantage.
Arne Slot will be very happy with his side’s performance so far.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
15:54 , Will Castle45+7 mins: CLOSE! Another late chance for Liverpool as Szoboszlai bends one towards the far corner, just wide of the post.
That should do it for the first half.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
15:53 , Will Castle45+5 mins: CLOSE! Sublime cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold who cuts across it on a half-volley, aiming for Luis Diaz at the back-post.
If Diaz connects there, it’s a simple header, but the delivery has half a yard too much on it.
Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
15:48 , Will Castle45+1 mins: Seven minutes added on, the bulk of which comes as a result of the serious injury suffered by Wes Burns earlier in the half.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich
15:4644 mins: GOAL! Liverpool are running away with this!
Gravenberch bends one in towards Szoboszlai whose close-range effort is saved, but Cody Gakpo is there to tuck home the rebound.
A fifth goal in five consecutive home league games for the Dutchman. That should be job done.
Liverpool 2-0 Ipswich
15:43 , Will Castle40 mins: Philogene has a first opportunity of the game to attack and tries to slip through Delap, who goes down in the box after Konate comes across.
Appeals for an Ipswich penalty mainly come from the away end, with Delap himself hardly looking convinced. The referee waves play on.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Ipswich
15:38 , Will Castle35 mins: GOAL! Just like that, Liverpool double their lead!
Lovely delivery from Gakpo to find an unmarked Salah in space, who brings it down and fires into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
That’s the goal that the Anfield faithful would’ve been craving. Liverpool have breathing space.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:35 , Will Castle33 mins: Van Dijk tries switching the play but his lofted pass asks too much of Gakpo.
The delay brought by Burns’ injury has slightly taken the sting out of this game.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:30 , Will Castle29 mins: Ipswich will be fearing the worst there as Burns is stretchered off with what looks like a serious knee injury.
Ben Johnson comes on in his place.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:26 , Will Castle24 mins: Concern for Ipswich as Wes Burns lies on the deck, looking in a lot of discomfort.
His knee looked to buckle under him as he planted his foot trying to tackle Gakpo.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:23 , Will Castle21 mins: Mac Allister pinches the ball in the middle of the park before driving forward into space and shooting from range.
We know he can score from distance, but this time he can only drag it wide.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:22 , Will Castle20 mins: First opportunity for Ipswich as Wes Burns forces Robertson into conceding a corner.
Davis whips it right on top of the goalkeeper, Alisson flaps at it and does enough. The whistle then goes for a foul on the keeper.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:20 , Will Castle18 mins: Liverpool in complete control here.
Alexander-Arnold is staying in more forward positions, forcing Philogene to drop back and allowing Konate to have space to pick out pass after pass.
Liverpool are yet to fashion another golden opportunity, but you feel it might be coming.
Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:15 , Will Castle13 mins: Liverpool haven’t taken long to get going here, and they could’ve had another seconds after the restart.
Salah latches onto an over-the-top ball and looks to be winning the tussle with the Ipswich man by his side, but the Egyptian can’t get a meaningful effort away after cutting back.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Ipswich
15:13 , Will Castle11 mins: GOAL! Wonderful, wonderful goal as Liverpool take the lead!
Konate finds a gap and brilliantly slips Szoboszlai into space. From there, the Hungarian drops the shoulder and firmly plants his left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
That was the early goal that Ipswich would have feared.
Liverpool 0-0 Ipswich
15:11 , Will Castle9 mins: Salah gets near the byline on the right before cutting in and trying to bend a trademark finish into the far corner. Davis recovers to block.
Liverpool 0-0 Ipswich
15:09 , Will Castle7 mins: Moment of concern inside Anfield as Virgil van Dijk lands awkwardly and remains on the deck for a few seconds.
Thankfully for Arne Slot, his skipper is back on his feet and seems to have shaken it off.
Liverpool 0-0 Ipswich
15:07 , Will Castle5 mins: Nice move from Diaz to find Mac Allister as Liverpool threaten to break away, but the Argentinian is surrounded by blue shirts and dispossessed.
Ipswich will be fully aware that Liverpool have conceded first in their last three Premier League games at home. They’ll surely feel that the first goal will need to go their way if they’re going to pull of an upset today.
Liverpool 0-0 Ipswich
15:03 , Will Castle2 mins: The first effort of the game goes Liverpool’s way as Cody Gakpo cuts onto his right, as he so often loves to do, but he can only blaze it over the bar.
Nice decoy run from Robertson there to allow Gakpo to move into space.
KICK-OFF! Liverpool 0-0 Ipswich
15:02 , Will Castle1 min: KICK-OFF! Liverpool get us underway.
Here come the teams
15:00 , Will CastleThe teams have made their way out to a sun-baked Anfield as You’ll Never Walk Alone rings around the ground.
It’s a sound and sight that never fails to get you in the mood. Moments away from kick-off.
Closing in on kick-off
14:52 , Will CastleNot long now until we get underway at Anfield.
Liverpool are looking to keep their distance at the top of the Premier League and could go nine points clear with a win today, assuming results go their way elsewhere.
Ipswich, meanwhile, will be eager for a better showing after being on the receiving end of a hammering at the hands of Manchester City last weekend. Saying that, the Tractor Boys have been more than capable of an upset this season.
Stay tuned for all the action, right here.
Kieran McKenna turns away Liam Delap suitors
14:35 , Harry Latham-CoyleIpswich manager Kieran McKenna has warned suitors interested in Liam Delap this January that any enquiries are likely to fall on deaf ears.
The 21-year-old Delap has netted eight goals in 21 appearances for Ipswich since joining the newly-promoted Tractor Boys from champions Manchester City last summer.
Those figures and his all-round performances have seen the England Under-21 international linked with a big-money move away from Portman Road, but McKenna, when asked if any teams had "knocked on the door" for his star striker, suggested interested parties would receive short shrift.
"I don't know whether doors have been knocked. We've certainly got no interest in answering the door. We don't have a door bell and the music's on loud," McKenna joked earlier this week.
This afternoon's fixtures
14:25 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt’s a busy old afternoon of Premier League action, the 3pm window loaded as many would like it to always be. Here’s a reminder of the five games that’ll be up and running in little more than half an hour:
Liverpool vs Ipswich
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest
Brighton vs Everton
Southampton vs Newcastle
Wolves vs Arsenal
Things livening up around Anfield
14:20 , Will Castle
Andoni Iraola interview: The reluctant coach leading a post-Pep tactical revolution
14:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleBournemouth face Nottingham Forest this afternoon in a meeting of two of the Premier League’s success stories. This week, Miguel Delaney went down to the south coast to meet the man at the heart of a tactical revolution - and find out what makes Andoni Iraola tick:
Andoni Iraola: The reluctant coach leading a post-Pep tactical revolution
Virgil van Dijk makes 300th Liverpool appearance
14:06 , Will CastleBig day for Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk, who hits the 300-appearance milestone for the club.
In that time, Van Dijk has won 208 games, drawn 47 and lost 44. An incredible record for one of the league’s greatest ever defenders.
Arne Slot's dad unimpressed by son's success
14:03 , Harry Latham-CoyleLiverpool head coach Arne Slot may have lost only two matches all season but there are still occasions when he cannot impress his dad.
The Dutchman regularly calls his father Arend after matches but following the 2-1 midweek Champions League win over Lille, which extended their 100 per cent record in the competition to seven matches, Slot senior was not particularly impressed.
It would have been difficult to match the drama of the two goals in stoppage time which secured the Premier League leaders’ victory at Brentford last weekend but Slot’s dad felt the team should have been more adventurous against the Ligue 1 side.
However, Slot, whose remarkable maiden season has seen him win 26 of 33 matches with just one Premier League defeat, said patience will be important as he expects struggling Ipswich to pose a tough test at Anfield.
“It is difficult for fans and my father is a fan as well,” he said.
“When I called him after the game he says, ‘ah, it wasn’t as exciting as other games of Liverpool’ when he watched the game against Lille.
“I had to try to explain to him these games you can easily lose if you are starting to force all kinds of difficult balls but he’s not always agreeing with me then.”
Philogene makes Ipswich debut
13:56 , Will CastleKieran McKenna has handed Jaden Philogene his debut in an Ipswich shirt following his move from Aston Villa earlier this month.
Can the tricky winger help throw a spanner in the works of Liverpool’s title push?
Liverpool vs Ipswich team news
13:51 , Luke BakerLiverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Diaz, Salah, Gakpo.
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Nunez, Chiesa, Elliott, Tsimikas, Danns, Quansah, Bradley.
Ipswich XI: Walton, Burns, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy, Phillips, Hutchinson, Philogene, Delap.
Subs: Muric, Johnson, Godfrey, Townsend, Luongo, Taylor, Broadhead, Enciso, Hirst.
Team news on the way...
13:40 , Harry Latham-CoyleThe XIs are imminent at Anfield. How much rotation will Arne Slot feel he needs?
Kieran McKenna says Ipswich still on the hunt for additions
13:20 , Harry Latham-CoyleKieran McKenna says Ipswich are still in the market to improve their starting XI during the remainder of the January window.
Ipswich signed Julio Enciso on loan from fellow Premier League side Brighton on Thursday.
Manager McKenna insists any further signings will need to improve the starting line-up.
"We'll have to wait and see. Look, we'll go to the last day and try to improve the squad in any way possible," he told reporters.
"We have enough depth in the squad. It's only if we can add players who we think can have a really big impact on the starting XI or the matchday squad and improve us over the remaining games.
"If we can do that, we'll do it. If that's not possible we have good depth, everyone's on board and everyone's hungry.”
Liverpool labelled ‘best team in the world’ after maintaining Champions League perfection
13:05 , Harry Latham-CoyleThe Champions League win over Lille prompted high praise from visiting forward Jonathan David - and it’s hard to argue with the Canadian’s declaration:
Liverpool labelled 'best team in the world' amid Champions League dominance
Arne Slot explains Liverpool's new problem: ‘All of them are in a low block’
12:50 , Harry Latham-CoyleLiverpool are having to find solutions, though, as teams figure out Slot’s style, as the manager articulated last weekend.
Slot explains Liverpool's new problem: ‘All of them are in a low block’
How Liverpool’s squad was expertly built – and why Arne Slot is now reaping the rewards
12:35 , Richard JollyLiverpool haven’t had it all their own way of late, relying on their replacements to help them out of tough moments. But it goes to show the strength of a squad built over a long period - and one which Arne Slot is really beginning to hone...
Liverpool’s squad was expertly built – and Arne Slot is reaping the rewards
Liverpool vs Ipswich LIVE
Friday 24 January 2025 15:37 , Harry Latham-CoyleGood afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s LIVE coverage of Liverpool vs Ipswich, a meeting of two clubs at either end of the Premier League table. Arne Slot’s hosts are top of the tree both domestically and in Europe and will bid to keep their title charge rolling against relegation-threatened visitors.
Kick off at Anfield is at 3pm GMT.
