With few options to lead the line against Fulham, it was Cody Gakpo who took on the responsibility and scored what we all thought to be the winning goal.
Since the arrival of Arne Slot, Gakpo hasn’t been deployed as a number nine on more than a couple of occasions, though he frequented the position under Jurgen Klopp.
Fans weren’t best pleased with Gakpo after some early misses at Craven Cottage, but his injury-time poacher’s goal went some way to earning back favour with the travelling support.
Whatever you want to say about his playing style, it’s hard to argue with the output.
Cody Gakpo enjoyed playing striker vs Fulham
It was a change for Gakpo’s usual duties of cutting in from the left, but the Dutchman doesn’t seem to mind.
If not for Harrison Reed’s showstopping 97th-minute strike, he would have been the hero of the evening.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com in the aftermath, he said: “I enjoyed it. It was a long time ago for me that I played there. It was good.
“I can do whatever the team asks me to do and I will do whatever I can to be the best version of myself and to try to help the team as much as I can.”
With Hugo Ekitike missing, how did you rate Cody Gakpo through the middle?
He got his goal…
No one has ever questioned his attitude, but Gakpo divides opinion at Liverpool with his often one-dimensional approach in attack.
Still, he’s already in double figures for goals this season for club and country, something not many Liverpool players can claim.
On reaching the milestone, he says: “That’s a good achievement for myself but I think the main focus from me and the whole team is the situation here and I think we can do so much better than we are showing.
“Everybody knows what we did last season, but I think we as a team also feel the quality we have and we sometimes show [it] in games and especially in training, but that has to come out in every game.”
Cody Gakpo on huge Arsenal clash
With Alexander Isak out for at least two months and Hugo Ekitike a doubt for Arsenal, we might well see Gakpo up front again on Thursday night.
The magnitude of the tie is not lost on him.
He remarks: “[It’s] a very big game. I think the game itself is very big, but regarding our situation as well it’s a big game for us to show what we can do.
“We try to do that the whole season and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. But I think [with] the situation we are in it really has to work in this game.”
Fill in the blank: Arne Slot must start — as Liverpool’s striker against Arsenal
Isak is out until March, and Ekitike hasn’t trained. Could Chiesa be an option? 🤔
Not only do Liverpool need three points, but they need to prevent Arsenal from stretching even further ahead in the standings.
The prospects of retaining the Premier League title grow bleaker by the week, but an 11-point gap with a win at least gives the Reds a chance. A loss, and a resulting 17-point gap, could be the final nail in the coffin for Slot and his players.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
