Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz laud Liverpool teammate on social media as the Reds defeat Newcastle in PL fixture

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz lauded teammate Cody Gakpo for his performance against Newcastle United as the Reds defeated the Magpies 4-2 on January 1 (Monday) in the Premier League.

Playing at Anfield, Liverpool created several chances in the first half but fluffed their lines, including a penalty miss by Mohamed Salah in the 22nd minute. However, the deadlock was eventually broken by the Egyptian forward early in the second half (49').

Alexander Isak equalized for the Magpies in the 54th minute before strikes from Curtis Jones (74') and Cody Gakpo (78') restored the Reds' lead. Sven Botman scored Newcastle United's second goal (81') to set up a tense finish, but the encounter was laid to rest with Salah's 86th minute penalty.

Cody Gakpo, who replaced Darwin Nunez in the 64th minute, managed two shots on target, including the goal, and completed one tackle during his short time on the pitch.

After the match, the former PSV Eindhoven forward took to Instagram and uploaded a few pictures from the game. He captioned the post:

"What a way to start 2024. Be grateful to God, every year you live!"

After the post was uploaded on the social media platform, several Liverpool players reacted to the pictures, including Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz, and Ryan Gravenberch.

Comments on Cody Gakpo's post

The Reds are currently at the top of the Premier League with 45 points after 20 matches, three points ahead of second-placed Aston Villa. Up next, Liverpool will visit the Emirates Stadium to play against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup on January 7 (Sunday).

Liverpool monitoring former Manchester City defender: Report

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are monitoring Borussia Monchengladbach defender Ko Itakura. Romano claimed that the Reds have spent their scouts several times to follow Ko Itakura’s performances.

Ko Itakura joined Manchester City from Kawasaki Frontale in 2019. However, he never made an appearance for the Premier League side as he was loaned to FC Groningen and Schalke during his stint.

Ko joined Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2022 and has since made 33 appearances for the Bundesliga side, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

Apart from the Reds, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly interested in signing the Japanese defender.