Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has praised Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo for his part in the Reds’ third goal against AC Milan on Tuesday night.
The Netherlands international provided the assist for Dominik Szoboszlai to make it 3-1 and, speaking on CBS Sports, fellow pundit Jamie Carragher said Gakpo’s clever run and cross were reminiscent of Henry:
“This reminds me about you in this position.”
Henry then replied by complementing Gakpo for the way he got past AC Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic:
“That’s very good [from Gakpo]. He kind of stopped his run, so he paused the player and, at the same time, he went back in. Virtually impossible and then Szoboszlai finished it.”
Gakpo was many people’s player of the match
While Ryan Gravenberch was handed the official award by UEFA, his fellow Dutchman was the standout player going forward for Liverpool.
Gakpo has had to bide his time since the start of the season, with head coach Arne Slot having started Luis Diaz ahead of him in the first 4 league games, but the forward showed what he is all about at the San Siro.
Liverpool reacted well after going behind early on against Milan
Christian Pulisic’s goal after just 2 minutes raised alarm bells, with many supporters concerned that they could suffer the same fate as they did against Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
However, Slot’s team did not panic, and they took control of the game, scoring from two set-pieces to turn around the scoreline.
While there are still concerns about some of Liverpool’s defending, the fact that they dominated Milan for lengthy spells demonstrates what they can do in possession.
Things will be slightly different against Bournemouth this weekend, who are likely to play in a similar way to Forest, but the strong response from the players in midweek should hold them in good stead.
