"Becoming a clutch player", "Better overall player than Vinicius Jr" - Fans praise Liverpool star after Manchester United draw

Fans were impressed with Cody Gakpo's performance during Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester United on Sunday (January 5). The Dutch midfielder was on the scoresheet as Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw at Anfield.

Going into the match, the view was that the Red Devils game was going to be a walk in the park for Arne Slot’s side, given the former’s poor run of form. However, Manchester United pulled off a surprise as they started strongly, although Liverpool enjoyed more possession (53%). A first half with very few goalscoring opportunities ended goalless.

Spark came in just seven minutes into the second half. Lisandro Martinez intercepted Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass and combined with Bruno Fernandes to lash the ball into the top corner from a tight angle to give Manchester United the lead. The Red Devils’ lead was, however, short-lived as Cody Gakpo restored parity for the Reds seven minutes later (59').

All of United’s hard work was undone midway through the second half as Matthijs de Ligt was penalized for handling the ball in the penalty area. Mohamed Salah stepped up and converted the spot kick (70') to put Liverpool ahead.

The visitors, however, kept fighting for the equalizer and finally got it in the 80th minute. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho’s low cross into the hosts' box found Amad Diallo unmarked, and the latter swept home to make the score 2-2.

Either side could have gotten a winner in the last minutes of the game, as both goalkeepers were called into action. But in the end, neither team could find the back of the net, forcing the share of the spoils.

Cody Gakpo recorded 25 touches, two successful dribbles, one clearance, two recoveries, and three successful duels in 86 minutes. Fans were happy with his performance and took to X to praise him after the game.

An X user wrote:

''One positive, Gakpo really becoming a clutch player, really stepped it up with his big goals.''

Another tweeted:

''Cody Gakpo is a better overall player than Vinicius Jr, been saying this for a while.''

''I hope Martinelli saw that Gakpo Goal and learned a few things,'' another wrote.

''Gakpo and gravenberch were good, jota decent off the bench, mo was good in 2nd half, trent was awful throughout the whole match, nunez did nothing but give away freekicks, robbo had a decent match until the last 20 minutes,'' another added.

''Gakpo is insane. Same as Jota. Dias is unpredictable,'' another chimed in.

How did Cody Gakpo fare for Liverpool in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United?

Cody Gakpo had a decent game in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United. The Dutchman almost pulled off a great instinctive first-half finish, but United's Noussair Mazraoui proved an impenetrable wall. However, he expertly got the equalizer for Liverpool, sitting down De Ligt and then firing home.

Gakpo completed two of his three attempted dribbles and recorded a passing accuracy of 78% (7/9). He had a rating of 7.0, as per Sofascore. Despite getting on the scoresheet, the Netherlands forward couldn’t play the entirety of the match and was replaced with Harvey Elliot in the 86th minute.

In the ongoing season, Gakpo has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 28 appearances across competitions.