Perhaps for the first time at San Siro on Tuesday night, Liverpool got a look at the player they thought they were buying when the signed Cody Gakpo.
After warming the bench for the first four Premier League games of the season, the Netherlands forward grasped his chance from the start during the 3-1 win over AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League in place of Luis Diaz on the left wing.
The Reds fell behind early to a Christian Pulisic goal but the relentless, intelligent threat provided by Gakpo and Mohamed Salah off the flanks pegged their hosts back, allowing Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Trent Alexander-Arnold to dictate terms from deep.
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Liverpool’s dominance yielded set-piece goals from Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk before halftime. The game-sealing moment came midway through the second half when Dominik Szoboszlai released Gakpo on a surging, elegant dribble. The former PSV favourite left Strahinja Pavlovic in his wake before teeing up Szoboszlai to volley home from close range.
“Obviously every player wants to play. I got my moment,” Gakpo told Amazon Prime Video afterwards.
“Every player feels the need to take that. I really wanted to show myself and I’m very happy with the assist but especially the win.”
Dominik Szoboszlai scores his first #UCL goal for Liverpool on his 50th appearance for the reds 🔴
Milestones 🫡 pic.twitter.com/mKNZ1JUqEP
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 17, 2024
To say Liverpool haven’t seen the real Cody Gakpo is not necessarily a criticism of the player. He arrived as a mid-season signing in January 2023 —- never an easy gig and less so as Liverpool were enduring one of their more forgettable seasons under Jurgen Klopp.
Last term, he helped them return to the title race until the final stretch. However, it was hard for him to find a place in the team. At times it felt like Gakpo’s main role was to play as a centre-forward whenever Darwin Nunez became too chaotic a presence. Of his 60 Premier League appearances for the Reds, 24 have come from the bench.
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What is Cody Gakpo’s best position?
The summer might end up being viewed as a turning point. Gakpo played on the left of the Netherlands attack at Euro 2024 and ended up being their main man and top scorer as Ronald Koeman’s side reached the semis.
It is a position that is probably his best and one he seldom played under Klopp. Luis Diaz’s irresistible high-octane style made him a more natural choice for the German coach, while Diogo Jota was also frequently used from that flank.
Now the Portugal international is Slot’s preferred choice at centre-forward, meaning Gakpo will have more chances to stake his claim in a role and a system that appears to suit him a little more. Fan favourite Diaz will take some shifting but Slot has two enviable options.
At Euro 2024, Gakpo once again looked like player who was one of the hottest transfer properties in Euro for the second half of 2022. At San Siro, he finally looked like a man ready to to control of his own destiny at Liverpool.