Cody Gakpo Shines in Liverpool's 2-0 Victory

Cody Gakpo walked off into the Suffolk night with the kind of performance that tends to end transfer gossip in a hurry.

On a tense evening that Andoni Iraola badly needed to tilt his way, the Dutchman ran the show. He threaded passes, dragged defenders around, and turned a potentially awkward away game into a controlled 2-0 victory that felt like a statement from both player and manager.

All summer, Gakpo’s name had floated around the rumour mill. On this evidence, Liverpool would be mad to let him go. In Iraola’s high-energy, front-foot system, he looked less like a dispensable asset and more like the man holding the blueprint together.

And then there was Alexander Isak.

If Gakpo was the architect, Isak was the finisher with ice in his veins. The Sweden international struck twice in nine ruthless minutes, both goals supplied by Gakpo, to continue a blistering start to the season. He has already matched his entire Premier League tally from last term in just three appearances. Same player, very different edge.

Those nine minutes bordered on chaos for the home defence. Gakpo kept finding pockets of space, slipping passes into the exact lanes Isak wanted. The forward did the rest with the kind of penalty-box instinct that separates a good run of form from something more serious.

That quickfire brace also nudged Isak into Liverpool’s record books. He matched a feat last achieved by Maxi Rodriguez over a decade ago, underlining just how rare this kind of early-season explosion has been at Anfield.

For Iraola, the timing could not have been better. Two 2-2 draws to start his Premier League reign had raised awkward questions: could his Liverpool side control games, could they close them out, could they translate promise into points? In Suffolk, they answered with a measured, professional performance and the first three points of his tenure.

It mattered historically, too. The win ensured Iraola avoided an unwanted comparison with Brendan Rodgers, who was the last Liverpool manager to go winless in his first three league matches. That little subplot disappeared the moment the final whistle went.

On the pitch, the players knew exactly who had set the tone.

“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,” captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports. “Great goals. Cody was outstanding. Great win, and on to the next.”

Gakpo himself cut a relaxed, almost playful figure afterwards, especially when talking about his growing partnership with Isak.

“Yeah, we will see,” he said. “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 no disguising his satisfaction with the overall display either. “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.”

Van Dijk didn’t just praise the performance. He underlined Gakpo’s importance to the squad in the context of those summer whispers about a move away.

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

That line felt less like a compliment and more like a warning to any suitors still circling.

On a night framed by questions about Iraola’s start and Gakpo’s future, Liverpool found clear answers in the space of nine ruthless minutes. If this is what their “vital cog” and their in-form finisher can produce in early September, what does it look like when the season really starts to bite?