Gakpo Shines as Liverpool Secures Victory Against Ipswich

Andoni Iraola never blinked. Not when the rumours swirled all summer, not when Manchester City circled with £85m on the table, and certainly not when Cody Gakpo walked out at Portman Road with his Liverpool future still being debated outside the club.

Ninety minutes later, the noise had changed tone.

Gakpo tore into Ipswich Town on Friday night, stitching together a performance that underpinned Liverpool’s first win of the new Premier League season, a 2-0 victory built on his precision and versatility. Two early assists for Alexander Isak, two goals inside nine frantic minutes, and a very clear message: he is still central to this project.

Gakpo answers a summer of questions

For weeks, Gakpo’s name sat at the heart of the transfer market’s rumour mill. Talk of a move to Tottenham surfaced. Then came Manchester City, ready to pay big and reshape Liverpool’s forward line in the final days of the window. Liverpool listened, but only up to a point. They could not find a replacement they trusted as the deadline crept closer, and the Dutchman stayed.

On this evidence, Iraola never wanted it any other way.

“I had no doubt with Cody,” the Liverpool head coach told reporters after the win. “He has been very, very good. All pre-season, [and] has started very well this season, producing numbers.”

The numbers at Portman Road were simple but devastating. Twice in the opening exchanges, Gakpo picked out Isak, twice Liverpool scored. Ipswich never recovered from the shock.

The performance was about more than assists. As the game tightened and Liverpool looked to close it out, Gakpo shifted inside and finished as the No. 9, another reminder of why Iraola values him so highly.

“Today, even after the two assists, he finishes as the No. 9 to help us close the game,” Iraola said. “It’s good to have Cody because he can play in the three positions up top, like all of our other players. To have him in this place for the beginning of the season is good.”

Fierce competition in Liverpool’s front line

If Gakpo’s future once looked uncertain, his role in the present is brutally clear: he is part of a front line where every minute will be fought for.

“I think Cody knows how much we value him. I think there is no doubt. I rate him very highly,” Iraola stressed. “I will demand [a lot] of him, obviously. He has also strong competition for minutes because we have good players in those positions, and it’s a matter of pushing each other.”

That competition has only intensified. Liverpool spent £123m on Bradley Barcola this summer, adding another high-profile attacker to a group that already includes the likes of Rio and Victor. Iraola did not shy away from the reality that some big names will sit out at times.

“Now with Bradley, with Rio, with Victor, it’s a matter of sometimes they will start, sometimes they will come from the bench, sometimes they will not play,” he said. “But this competition, I think, is going to be good for our team.”

The message was blunt: reputations will not guarantee starts. Performances like Gakpo’s at Ipswich will.

Barcola’s first steps

While Gakpo stole the headlines, the night also offered a first real look at Barcola in Liverpool colours. His World Cup exploits are still fresh in the memory, but he arrived at Anfield short of match rhythm and without a single pre-season minute.

“I think Bradley hadn’t played a single minute since the World Cup so we needed to be careful,” Iraola explained. “I think he is training well, in a good place, and I think that he has helped us.”

Barcola came off the bench and immediately carried a threat. Iraola felt Liverpool did not always pick him out when he burst into space, particularly in situations where he looked set to race through on goal.

“Probably, we haven’t found him in a couple of situations where I think he was going against the ‘keeper, but we haven’t really seen his movements,” the coach said.

Even so, there were flashes. One sharp counter-attack, one clever pass, and Gakpo on the end of it – only the finish was missing.

“And also he has had a very good counter, very good passing side that I think Cody finished, but we didn’t score. But he was always a threat, you know? When he carries the ball, I think you can feel this threat and I’m happy because I think 30 minutes is going to be good for his fitness, for his build-up, and we will continue because now we play a lot of games, so he will have a chance to play more.”

Patience will be required from the stands, even if the price tag invites instant judgement.

“I think it’s normal, he hasn’t played any pre-season minutes,” Iraola said. “I think he’s still in a good place. I don’t think he will need something like a very special build-up, but we have to be aware that he hasn’t been playing in a while and the demands of the games are very different from training, so we have got to consider this.”

Liverpool walked away from Portman Road with three points, a clean sheet and a front line that suddenly looks deep, sharp and hungry. Gakpo stayed, Barcola has arrived, and Iraola now has the kind of attacking puzzle most managers would gladly wrestle with as the season begins to gather pace.