Cody Gakpo Shines in Liverpool's 2-0 Victory

Cody Gakpo walked off into the Suffolk night with the questions answered and the noise silenced.

All week, the talk had been about a possible exit from Anfield. On Friday, he played like a man intent on shutting the window himself. Liverpool’s 2-0 win was built on his craft, his running, his refusal to let the game drift. Every attack seemed to pass through him; every dangerous moment carried his fingerprints.

Andoni Iraola has made it clear he sees Gakpo as central to his Liverpool rebuild. This was the performance that underlined why. Operating with purpose and clarity, the Dutchman dictated the tempo in the final third and turned pressure into points.

His partnership with Alexander Isak is starting to look like something opponents will dread. Gakpo was buzzing about it afterwards.

“Yeah, we will see. 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!” he said with a grin, a line that spoke of both chemistry and confidence.

The scoreline was modest. The impact was not. Liverpool’s 2-0 victory owed everything to Gakpo’s vision and selflessness. Twice he carved open the defence, twice Isak finished with the cold precision of a striker in peak form.

Isak is on a tear. The Sweden international has already matched his entire Premier League goal tally from last season in just three appearances of this campaign. That alone tells the story of a player reborn. His brace here came in a blistering nine-minute spell, a burst of pure predatory instinct that broke the game open.

Both goals came from Gakpo passes. Both felt inevitable the moment the ball left his boot.

Those “nine minutes of madness” did more than settle the contest. They pushed Isak into rare company, matching a feat last achieved by Maxi Rodriguez over a decade ago. For a club steeped in attacking history, that kind of benchmark carries weight.

On the touchline, Iraola finally had the release he needed. After back-to-back 2-2 draws to open his Premier League tenure, the questions had already started: could this Liverpool side manage a game, close a door, see a job through?

In Suffolk, they did exactly that. No late collapse, no wild swings. Just a controlled, professional display that banked three points and eased early-season nerves. The result also spared Iraola an unwanted place in the record books; he avoided becoming the first Liverpool manager since Brendan Rodgers to fail to win any of his first three league games.

Inside the dressing room, the players knew who had set the tone. Captain Virgil van Dijk did not hesitate to highlight both the tactical tweak 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. Great goals. Cody was outstanding. Great win, and on to the next,” he said.

Liverpool did look more ruthless in those early phases. Longer passes, quicker transitions, less indulgence on the ball. Chaos with a plan. Gakpo thrived in that environment, slipping between the lines, turning half-chances into clear ones.

Van Dijk also cut straight to the heart of the transfer noise that has followed Gakpo all summer.

“Massive. I said it before the transfer window had closed, he's important for us, and he will be important this season,” the captain stressed.

That importance was written all over this performance. Gakpo didn’t just contribute; he connected everything. He pressed, he linked, he created. Isak applied the finish, but the architecture was all his.

Afterwards, speaking to Sky Sports, Gakpo’s assessment of the night was sharp and honest.

“I think it was a great game today. 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,” he said.

There was no attempt to dress it up as perfection. Just recognition that this was a step Liverpool had to take, and one they could not afford to stumble over.

For Iraola, it feels like a starting point. For Isak, it looks like the continuation of a hot streak that could define his season. For Gakpo, it might be the night the conversation finally shifts from where he might go to what he can make this Liverpool side become.