Cody Gakpo Shines in Liverpool's 2-0 Victory

Cody Gakpo walked off into the Suffolk night with the questions answered for him. The transfer whispers, the uncertainty about his role, the sideways glances at the bench – all of it felt distant after 90 minutes in which he ran Liverpool’s attack and left Andoni Iraola grinning on the touchline.

On a night Iraola badly needed his first league win as Liverpool manager, Gakpo supplied the control, the imagination and, crucially, the final ball. Alexander Isak supplied the finish.

Gakpo the creator, Isak the executioner

Liverpool’s 2-0 victory was built on that partnership. Gakpo drifted between the lines, repeatedly finding pockets of space, and when the game needed a spark he lit it. Isak, in the kind of ruthless form that turns good forwards into feared ones, did the rest.

His two goals arrived in a blur – a devastating nine-minute spell that Suffolk will remember as much as Liverpool will cherish. Both strikes came from Gakpo passes, both carried the cold efficiency of a striker who knows exactly where the net is and how quickly he can get the ball there.

Those finishes did more than kill the contest. They dragged Isak level with his entire Premier League goal tally from last season after just three matches of this campaign. The “nine minutes of madness” also nudged him into Liverpool history, matching a feat last achieved by Maxi Rodriguez more than a decade ago. Different era, same ruthless streak.

A win Iraola needed

For Iraola, the stakes were quieter but just as real. Two 2-2 draws to open his reign had left a nagging doubt about Liverpool’s ability to close games out. Another stumble and he would have been staring at an unwanted piece of trivia: the first Liverpool manager since Brendan Rodgers to go winless in his opening three Premier League fixtures.

His players never let it get that far. Liverpool were sharper, more direct, more decisive. They managed the game with a professionalism that had been missing in those chaotic opening weeks. Once Isak’s second goal went in, the tension around Iraola visibly eased.

This, finally, looked like his Liverpool.

“Cody was outstanding”

Inside the dressing room, there was no debate about who had set the tone. Virgil van Dijk, armband on and message clear, underlined both the tactical shift and Gakpo’s influence.

“I think we were a little bit more direct in the beginning, which is what we wanted to put the danger in their half and create a bit of chaos,” the captain said. “Great goals. Cody was outstanding. Great win, and on to the next.”

Van Dijk has never hidden how highly he rates his compatriot, and with the transfer window only just shut, he did not dodge the bigger picture either.

“Massive,” he said of keeping Gakpo at Anfield. “I said it before the transfer window had closed, he’s important for us, and he will be important this season.”

On this evidence, that importance is growing by the week.

Partnership with promise

Gakpo himself cut a relaxed figure afterwards, his mind already on the blossoming link with Isak rather than the speculation he had just silenced.

“Yeah, we will see,” he told Sky Sports when asked about their connection. “We always train together, and always try to get to know each other better. Hopefully we can assist each other many times. He owes me a few assists now!”

There was a smile behind the last line, but the intent is serious. Liverpool have been searching for a new attacking rhythm under Iraola, a fresh pattern to replace old habits. Gakpo and Isak offered a compelling sketch of what that future might look like.

Gakpo’s own assessment of the night struck a similar balance between satisfaction and standards.

“I think it was a great game today,” he said. “Obviously some things we have to improve still but a much-needed win for us, and I’m really glad that we got the three points.”

From doubt to statement

This was more than just three points and a clean sheet. It felt like a small hinge in Liverpool’s season: the night the new manager banked his first win, the night his supposed wantaway forward dictated the game and looked every inch “a vital cog” in Iraola’s system.

The questions about Gakpo’s future will surface again when the next window opens. They always do. But after this display, they sound a little more distant, a little less urgent.

If this is the level he intends to hit, the real dilemma for Liverpool won’t be whether they can afford to keep him.

It will be whether they can afford to let him go at all.