Jamie Carragher: Cody Gakpo brilliant against Man Utd and Liverpool’s new front three shows signs of blossoming | Football News

Jamie Carragher has labelled Cody Gakpo a “revelation” for his starring function in Liverpool’s 7-0 win over Manchester United and feels there are signs of a new front three blossoming.

Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez scored twice every within the historic conquer Erik ten Hag’s facet at Anfield as Liverpool boosted their top-four prospects in gorgeous fashion.

Jurgen Klopp’s facet got here into the sport having solely gained 4 of their final 12 video games in all competitions, with their new-look assault struggling to gel for a lot of the marketing campaign.

But Carragher feels Sunday’s devastating show highlights the chemistry Nunez, Salah and January signing Gakpo are constructing as Liverpool look to assemble a front three to rival their earlier triumvirate of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

“On the back of the announcement of Roberto Firmino not being at the club next season, Sadio Mane moving on at the start of the season, and Liverpool just not being at the races for a lot of this season, it felt nice to see Gakpo, Nunez and Salah – still with [Luis] Diaz to come back and [Diogo] Jota on the bench – and what could be the makings of a new front three,” stated Carragher.

“Will it ever get to that degree [of the previous front three]? We do not know. But let’s not overlook Manchester United are top-quality opposition. Going into this sport, in all probability one of probably the most in-form groups in Europe.

“So, for your attacking players to be that devastating on the day and score that amount of goals I think bodes well for the future, in terms of Liverpool getting back to their old selves, taking teams apart and scoring goals.”

Carragher felt it was a breakout efficiency by Gakpo, who had solely scored twice in his first 11 video games for Liverpool following his £45m transfer from PSV Eindhoven in January. The Sky Sports pundit praised Klopp for the way in which by which he deployed him.

“He has been getting goals but this was a brilliant performance,” he stated of Gakpo. “What I would say about Gakpo and Harvey Elliott is that they were the two positions that were up for grabs.

“I’ll be sincere with you, I wished Jota to play as a substitute of Gakpo, as a result of I believed he’d be higher at urgent from the front, and that Liverpool may win the ball again there. And I believed [Stefan] Bajcetic had been performing higher than Elliott, so I used to be a bit stunned.

“But I think Jurgen Klopp got it right. Tactically, it was fantastic and the role of Gakpo and Harvey Elliott was key in that.

“We know Manchester United go man to man. Fred is with Henderson. [Wout] Weghorst’s job is to look after Fabinho, that’s why he played No 10, and Casemiro’s job is to look after Harvey Elliott.

“But what Liverpool did was that they had a set-up that was virtually like a diamond, or a field, and it was, ‘Who’s going to select up Gakpo?’

“I think Jurgen Klopp did this because they go man-for-man. The idea was to get Gakpo and Elliott in the half-spaces, as Jurgen Klopp speaks about so often.

“What that did was, it created a huge space and gulf in that Manchester United midfield. The two central midfield players were 27 yards apart.

“And who’s with Gakpo? Nobody. Gakpo can choose it up within the half-space with nobody with him. The deployment of Gakpo from Jurgen Klopp was incredible.”

Carra: Third aim was a ‘wow’ second

Carragher was significantly impressed by Gakpo’s function in Liverpool’s third aim, which he scored himself, lifting a fragile end over David de Gea having slid a cross by way of to Salah from inside his personal half, then accelerated into the United field.

“This, for me, was an absolute ‘wow’ moment of the day,” stated Carragher. “Yes. There are seven goals and there’s a lot you can pick out.

“I like the composure he shows with the cross to Salah, as a result of he’s getting challenged by Antony.

“He could play it [early], but Luke Shaw is blocking the pass. He just waits for the space to open up and then he’s off.

“I’ll be honest, watching Gakpo, I didn’t think he had this,” added Carragher of Gakpo’s burst of acceleration into the field.

“I believed he is received to play centrally. I do not actually see him as a large participant despite the fact that that was his function at PSV, as a result of I did not suppose he had the tempo.

“But the running power he has here was absolutely fantastic. And that finish is world-class. That’s how the best players in world football finish. From the tightest of angles, and don’t forget how far he has run, he must have been knackered.

“You see the celebration in front of the Kop, however he for me was the massive revelation of the day, and possibly there are signs of a new front three blossoming proper now.”