It had taken all of 90 minutes. But by the end, Cody Gakpo was revelling in the acclaim of the Kop as he provided the gloss on the first phase of Liverpool's Carabao Cup defence. But even before firing past Lukasz Fabianski twice in second-half stoppage time as the Reds made light work of West Ham, the Dutchman was doing his utmost to ensure Arne Slot's team selection ahead of Saturday's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers is far from straightforward.
Sure, life at Anfield has been anything but plain and simple for Gakpo since his £37m move from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023. But with the help of his compatriot Slot, the Dutchman has breathed new life into his Reds career. What Arne Slot did with Liverpool team selection exposes major new problem What Liverpool supporters did after substitution speaks volumes as agonising 100-day wait ends But eight days on from his fierce showing in the San Siro - an arena synonymous with Dutch greatness - Gakpo was Liverpool's main threat for much of his third-round tie and relished his battle with Vladimir Coufal as he recorded the most dribbles of any player over the course of the 90 minutes.
And his quick-fire brace when cutting inside late on served as another reminder that to get the best out of Gakpo, he must be deployed on the left. No longer is he Liverpool's utility man, but slowly putting together a substantial body that suggests he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. Arne Slot ready to continue Liverpool's love affai.
