Liverpool's patience with Alexander Isak is beginning to pay dividends, as the record-breaking £125m acquisition finally demonstrates the qualities that made him the Premier League's most expensive striker.
The Swedish forward's well-executed finish in Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield on Sunday extended his run to three consecutive Premier League goals—his first such streak since January 2025, when he scored in eight consecutive matches for Newcastle. According to Sky Sports, this performance signals a turning point in his Anfield career.
What particularly pleased head coach Andoni Iraola was the interplay between Isak and fellow £100m-plus signing Bradley Barcola, who operated on the right flank of the attacking trio. Barcola broke clear before finding Isak in the six-yard box, precisely where the striker is most lethal—between the posts and in his most dangerous territory.
This attacking blueprint reflected the vision of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, the architects who secured Isak's arrival last summer at a British-record fee, alongside Florian Wirtz. Rather than spreading resources across multiple signings in the manner of Arsenal, Liverpool opted to concentrate investment in one or two marquee additions to build on their previous season's title triumph.
After Edwards departed in July, Hughes completed the Barcola transaction before his own exit, as Liverpool doubled down on their strategy of recruiting smaller, technically gifted players during a period when the Premier League was becoming increasingly physical and demanding.
The vision for a post-Mohamed Salah attacking line is now crystallising, particularly through Isak's performances. His form at last summer's World Cup with Sweden and his impressive pre-season displays for the Reds suggested the trajectory was positive, a momentum he carried into the campaign.
Isak opened his account with a goal in the 2-2 home draw against Nottingham Forest in August, and has since netted six times in seven league appearances, leaving him just one behind Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League scoring rankings. His significance extends beyond individual tallies: the 27-year-old has scored in every league victory Liverpool have achieved this season, while only Victor Munoz among his teammates has more than one top-flight goal.
Iraola's focus, however, extends beyond the goal tally. The manager emphasises Isak's pressing from the front and his broader contribution to team shape and structure.
He's a massive player for us. Probably my demands will not be about the goals, I know that [if] he's fit, he's in good shape, he's going to produce the numbers. My fights with him are more about other stuff, about how to help the team in all the situations.
Iraola made these remarks to Sky Sports in September, reiterating the same message ahead of the Arsenal fixture.
I think Alex feels the trust of everyone. Everyone trusts if he moves into good positions he will score goals. But I always tell him he has to help us so we can give you the chances, and I think he understands that necessity. I hope that can continue at the same level.
Beyond subjective observation, Isak's statistical profile reveals substantial improvement in his attacking output. He is attempting 3.15 shots per league game this season, compared to 2.18 previously, which correlates with his expected goals per 90 minutes doubling from 0.33 to 0.67. His conversion rate of 0.95 goals per 90 minutes ranks second only to Haaland's.
Among Premier League strikers, only Haaland (24.1 touches per game) operates with fewer possessions than Isak's 24.6, yet both demonstrate clinical finishing when opportunities materialise. These metrics align with his best scoring campaign in English football, when he managed 27 goals across 42 appearances in all competitions during his final Newcastle season.
Jamie Carragher, assessing Isak's importance from the punditry box, highlighted Liverpool's attacking vulnerability without him.
He is massively important because Liverpool are not a great goalscoring team right now. Besides him, who else is going to score the goals? Victor Munoz has got a couple, but Isak has made a great start, in complete contrast to last season, when he was injured. We've still not probably seen the full version of Isak that we saw at Newcastle, but I think that will come with more games, repetition of training sessions with Iraola and maybe we'll see the best of him in the second half of the season. But he's getting goals and he needs to get goals because there's aren't too many players around him getting goals for Liverpool.
The Brighton victory held particular significance. According to Business Day, this represented Iraola's first Premier League victory at Anfield, ending a run of five home league matches without victory. Pascal Gross's own goal preceded Isak's finish, and the result lifted Liverpool to fourth place, six points adrift of Manchester City.
Iraola and his medical team must carefully manage Isak's workload given his injury history and the absence of fellow striker Hugo Ekitiké, who remains sidelined with an Achilles injury and is not expected to return until next year. The manager frequently replaces Isak with Lewis Koumas in the closing stages, a precaution intensified after Isak missed the 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City following a thigh problem sustained during international duty with Sweden.
Injuries have shadowed Isak since his arrival at Anfield, mirroring patterns from his Newcastle tenure. He arrived having gone on strike and missed pre-season entirely to force the transfer through, immediately placing him on the back foot. He subsequently missed four matches with abductor pain in October and November, then suffered a left leg fracture in a challenge at Tottenham before Christmas, sidelining him for 106 days.
Upon his May return, he was absent for nearly three weeks with additional abductor issues and muscle strains, resulting in a disappointing debut campaign that yielded merely three league goals. The combination of regaining fitness while shouldering the expectations accompanying a move to the champions with a record price tag, during a period of institutional turbulence, proved overwhelming for a naturally reserved personality.
With fitness now restored and Liverpool rediscovering form under Iraola, this represents a fresh beginning for the Swede on Merseyside. According to Yahoo Sports, Liverpool recently defeated Chelsea on penalties on October 28, with Iraola rotating his squad heavily, leaving Isak among those rested on the bench—a sign of the manager's confidence in his depth and his commitment to managing the striker's minutes carefully.
The Arsenal test ahead
With Arsenal visiting Anfield on November 1 at 4:30 p.m. GMT, Isak faces an opportunity to further demonstrate his importance to Iraola's revival. The Gunners were among the clubs interested in signing him during the January 2025 transfer window, adding narrative weight to the fixture. Isak's continued fitness and form will be essential as Liverpool seek to close the gap on the league leaders and establish themselves as genuine title contenders under their new manager.
