Cody Gakpo Shines in Liverpool's First Win Under Iraola
Cody Gakpo walked off into the Suffolk night with the match ball metaphorically under his arm and the transfer chatter trailing somewhere far behind him.
On a night when Liverpool badly needed control and clarity, he gave them both. He ran the game, stitched attacks together and, with two killer passes, turned a tight contest into a 2-0 win that felt like a line in the sand for Andoni Iraola’s reign.
Gakpo the creator, Isak the finisher
For weeks, Gakpo’s name had hovered around the gossip columns. Interest from elsewhere, questions over his role, whispers about whether he truly fit Iraola’s high-tempo blueprint. Ninety minutes here answered all of that.
He was sharp between the lines, decisive in transition and ruthless in the final third – not with his finishing, but with his vision. Both goals came from his boots. Both were taken by a striker who suddenly looks unstoppable.
Alexander Isak is playing like a man who has no intention of slowing down. The Sweden international has already matched his entire Premier League haul from last season in just three appearances this term. That’s not a purple patch. That’s a statement.
His two goals arrived inside nine breathless minutes, each one a snapshot of a forward operating at full confidence, each one fed by Gakpo. It was described as “nine minutes of madness”, but there was nothing chaotic about Isak’s movement or Gakpo’s precision. This was cold, calculated punishment.
Those nine minutes carried historical weight too. Isak’s brace saw him hit a milestone no Liverpool player had reached for more than a decade, matching a feat last achieved by Maxi Rodriguez. Different era, different team, same ruthless streak.
Speaking afterwards, Gakpo was as relaxed as he had been ruthless.
“Yeah, we will see,” he smiled when asked about his connection with Isak. “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!”
Iraola off the mark
For Iraola, this was more than just a first win. It was a release.
Two 2-2 draws to start his Premier League tenure had raised familiar doubts about Liverpool’s ability to finish the job. Leads had slipped, control had vanished, and the new era felt a little too much like the old headaches.
Not here. In Suffolk, Liverpool were disciplined, direct when they needed to be and ruthless when the chances came. A professional performance, exactly when the manager needed it most.
The result ensured Iraola avoided an unwanted piece of club history. He did not join Brendan Rodgers as a Liverpool manager who failed to win any of his first three league games. That matters in a dressing room that has been told this is a fresh cycle, a new push.
Gakpo knew how important it was. “I think it was a great game today,” he told Sky Sports. “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’s verdict: “Cody was outstanding”
Virgil van Dijk, armband on and voice carrying weight as always, cut straight to the tactical heart of it.
“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,” the captain said. “Great goals. Cody was outstanding. Great win, and on to the next.”
That “direct” edge was visible from the first whistle. Liverpool turned opponents, pressed high and forced mistakes. Gakpo thrived in the space that created, constantly offering himself, turning and driving at a back line that never quite worked him out.
Van Dijk didn’t stop at praising the performance. He underlined Gakpo’s importance in the wider picture, a pointed message given the noise of the transfer window.
“Massive,” he said when asked about the forward staying put. “I said it before the transfer window had closed, he's important for us, and he will be important this season.”
No ambiguity. No hedging. Liverpool’s captain wants Gakpo here, and nights like this show why.
A partnership with promise
The most intriguing subplot, though, might be what this means for the Gakpo–Isak partnership.
They already train together, already talk about understanding each other’s runs and rhythms. On this evidence, the groundwork is paying off. Gakpo drops, draws defenders, threads passes. Isak spins, bursts into space, finishes with a striker’s certainty.
“Hopefully we can assist each other many times,” Gakpo said. That line felt less like a hope and more like a warning to the rest of the league.
Liverpool leave Suffolk with their first league win under Iraola, a clean sheet, and a forward pair that looks ready to cause serious damage. If this is what their connection looks like in early September, what will it resemble when the season reaches its sharp end?
