Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has singled Cody Gakpo out for praise after the Dutchman powered home his 50th Reds goal during the 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.
Liverpool fans will be trying to hold onto crumbs of comfort they can, after watching their side collapse to a 3-2 loss at Old Trafford on Sunday.
One of the few genuine positives to emerge from the wreckage of the defeat was the performance of Dominik Szoboszlai.
The fan favourite provided Liverpool with a vital lifeline just moments into the second half, dragging his side back into the contest at 2-1 with a sensational solo goal that momentarily silenced the Old Trafford crowd.
Senne Lammens was left rooted to the spot as Szoboszlai capped off a dazzling, mazy run with a clinical finish, coolly slotting the ball home to capitalise on the opportunity.
Off the back of this effort, silencing the home masses inside Old Trafford, the Hungarian playmaker is now up to 13 goals and ten assists in all competitions for the season, with the Player of the Season accolade coming his way, surely a shoo-in at this point.
Reds icon Phil Thompson, who played a colossal 477 times for the Merseyside outfit, also singled out Cody Gakpo for praise at the full-time whistle, with the often scapegoated forward picking up his 50th Liverpool goal when levelling the match at 2-2.
Thompson’s praise of Gakpo
It was a simple goal, too, that allowed the Dutch attacker to hit this milestone, as a loose back-pass was capitalised on, leading to the ex-PSV Eindhoven man tapping the chance home.
Gakpo hasn’t always been in the good books this season, with this simple finish his first goal in six Premier League games, but he was also electric in patches in the Merseyside Derby last month, when his brilliant through ball was latched onto by Mohamed Salah, to break the nervy deadlock.
Moved into a central striker position for the second half at Old Trafford, Gakpo fought back against his vocal critics and shone, with Thompson showering him with praise when speaking on The Official Liverpool FC podcast, after the match.
He said, glowingly: “You want him to step up, to be more involved.
“People think he’s a one-trick pony coming inside all the time, I would like him to go on the outside sometimes, you could get a corner kick or a throw-in sometimes, but it confuses the full-back or the midfield player, whoever’s taking you on.
“You need to do it more often, otherwise they’re just lining up for you to come inside, and that’s what frustrates most people with Cody.
“I thought he played well today. I thought he really stepped up. He was very, very clever in his movement, he was dropping off Maguire and the other centre-back, getting them turning, linking up a lot with Ryan Gravenberch who was getting between the lines.
“The first one I actually thought was in the back of the net. I thought he had a good game today, but it’s been a difficult season for him.”
Acknowledging that it has been a difficult season for him on the whole, with outspoken pundit Jamie O’Hara previously declaring that he isn’t “good enough” to be a first-teamer at Anfield, it is heartwarming to see such an iconic former Reds player single him out for some much-needed praise, as he was an attacking threat throughout at the Theatre of Dreams.
He will need to continue scoring goals in the attacking areas if Liverpool is serious about sealing a Champions League spot, with both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak unfortunately sidelined.
Gakpo has a burden on his shoulders
The expectation will be that the Dutchman can keep powering home some crucial strikes, with three huge Premier League games remaining, against Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Brentford.
Isak is expected to be fit for the game against the Blues, alongside a returning Alisson, but with the injury issues piling up for the Swede as of late, it would be harsh to expect him to be firing on all cylinders from the get-go.
Instead, the burden of being Liverpool’s main attacking focal point will fall on the shoulders of the rejuvenated number 18, with Salah also out of action.
Gakpo’s impressive goalscoring form:
| Opponent | Date | Competition | Goal count |
| Chelsea | Oct 4 2025 | Premier League | 1 |
| Aston Villa | May 13 2024 | Premier League | 1 |
| Brentford | Feb 17 2024 | Premier League | 1 |
Thankfully, Gakpo has managed to score against all of Liverpool’s remaining Premier League opponents across his hot-and-cold stint on Merseyside, so far, with more praise definitely heading his way if he bows out from the 2025/26 season on a purple patch of form.
The task of securing Champions League football now rests squarely on Gakpo’s shoulders as Liverpool face a daunting final sprint against Chelsea (H), Aston Villa (A), and Brentford (H).
With fellow attackers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike currently watching from the treatment table, the Reds’ European hopes depend almost entirely on the Dutchman maintaining his clinical “purple patch” in front of goal.
The burden is heavy, but if the rejuvenated number 18 can replicate his past successes against these upcoming opponents, he might just drag the Reds across the finish line and buy his manager some much-needed breathing room.
