Several Liverpool players came good when needed as the Reds prevailed 3-1 against Sheffield United on Thursday night, with one journalist hailing a few contributions from Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The clinching goal came from Cody Gakpo in the 90th minute as he crashed a header past Ivo Grbic from a sumptuous Andy Robertson cross, and Ian Doyle was eager to praise the Dutchman, who came off the bench to good effect.
In his post-match analysis for the Liverpool Echo, the reporter wrote: “Andy Robertson was excellent in a cameo that saw him create the third goal headed home by Cody Gakpo who, after a few difficult performances, was superb in his showing.”
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Having been pilloried over a costly moment in the FA Cup defeat at Manchester United last month, Gakpo’s 20-minute outing last night felt redemptive, and not just for the goal which eventually killed off the game as a contest.
As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old won four duels, executed three key passes, recorded two successful dribbles and notably completed every single pass that he played (13).
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The Dutchman might have shipped criticism over some recent displays but his form in front of goal has been decent, having netted twice in the 6-1 Anfield rout of Sparta Prague and posted three goals and an assist in his last six outings (effectively five games when considering that he had a token minute off the bench against Brighton last Sunday).
On a night when Mo Salah was rather subdued, Gakpo came good to settle any late nerves at Anfield. He could be needed a few more times over the coming weeks if there’s another game where it’s not quite happening for of his fellow Liverpool attackers.