Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has come under fire from Jamie Carragher following Sunday’s agonising defeat against Manchester United.
The Reds lost 4-3 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-final at the weekend, conceding a heartbreaking 121st-minute strike after having dominated for large periods.
It’s only Liverpool’s fifth loss of the season in all competitions, with the Reds having already won the Carabao Cup, but the defeat will still sting for the club’s supporters and players.
Liverpool had plenty of chances to kill the game off both in regulation and extra time, with the profligacy of Jurgen Klopp’s side in the final third ultimately proving costly.
Cody Gakpo was one of the few senior options available to Klopp from the bench and was drafted in on the 77th minute to help kill the game off.
But the Dutchman put in another underwhelming display at Old Trafford, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher not holding back in his assessment of the 24-year-old.
Writing on X, Carragher simply stated: “Gakpo plays like the game is in slow motion.”
The forward had several clear openings as Liverpool found more and more space in the Man Utd half, but his poor decision-making and wastefulness meant they couldn’t capitalise.
Another ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was also critical of Gakpo after the full-time whistle, pinpointing one particular moment in which Gakpo broke clear with the ball and Liverpool had five attackers to just two Man Utd defenders.
“This is the most obvious one,” said Warnock (via TBR Football). “Gakpo gets the ball, comes on as a sub, and he was very wasteful, Gakpo in the way he played.
“In this position now, you cannot pass the ball yet. You’ve got to wait for the two centre halves, push them back onto the edge of the box. And then you can slide passes.
“They’ve then got to make a decision to engage at some point. It’s really, really poor from Liverpool. And they got punished for it.”
Gakpo has had a difficult season so far for Liverpool, despite the fact that he has 13 goals and five assists.
The majority of his goal contributions have come in the cup competitions and often against lesser sides, with the Dutch international having rarely been trusted to start in big games.
He has shown plenty of glimpses of his talent, but far more consistency is needed for him to become a regular in the Liverpool starting lineup.
