Liverpool’s Bradley Barcola made Premier League history in just 30 minutes against Ipswich!
Liverpool star Bradley Barcola made a big impression by breaking a Premier League record in his very first game.
After two 2-2 draws, Andoni Iraola’s team finally got their first win of the season, beating Ipswich away on Friday night. Alexander Isak scored twice early on at Portman Road, pushing Liverpool up to fifth place before the rest of the weekend’s games.
This important win has given Liverpool fans a boost of confidence after a slow start and a quiet transfer window. There’s a lot of excitement, especially after the debut of new signing Bradley Barcola, who joined for a fee that could rise to £123 million.
The French winger, who’s won the Champions League twice with Paris Saint-Germain, came on as a substitute for fellow newcomer Victor Munoz, who scored his first goal against Nottingham Forest last week.
Barcola only played 31 minutes but quickly won over Liverpool fans with his energy and speed. He looked dangerous on the counterattack, racing up the pitch and setting up a shot for Cody Gakpo, which narrowly missed.
The Premier League now has a new speed star, as Barcola hit a top speed of 35.9km/h, the fastest recorded in the league this season. He beat players like Pedro Neto and Kristoffer Ajer to the top spot.
Barcola, 24, officially joined Liverpool on August 31 after making it clear to PSG that he wanted to move. He missed pre-season and only recently started training with his new teammates.
Coach Iraola was happy with what he saw from Barcola in his first game wearing red. He said, “Bradley hadn’t played since the World Cup, so we had to be careful. He’s training well and helping us. We didn’t get to see everything he can do, but he was a real threat on the counterattack and made some good passes. I’m happy with his 30 minutes—it’s good for his fitness, and he’ll get more chances as we play lots of games.”
Barcola was always expected to get some time in the second half, and now he’s hoping to start in Wednesday’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Iraola also reminded fans to be patient with their new star. “He didn’t play pre-season and hasn’t played for a while, so we have to take it step by step. The game demands are different from training, but he’s in a good place and will keep improving.”