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Pundit Chris Sutton has criticized Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo after his disappointing display for the Reds in their 4-3 FA Cup quarterfinal defeat to Manchester United. The Reds saw their hopes of a first domestic treble ended by their rivals in dramatic fashion at Old Trafford.
Heading into the final FA Cup quarterfinal of Jurgen Klopp's reign as Liverpool boss, the Reds were on a run of nine games without defeat, including eight wins and a draw. They had won the Carabao Cup in this run and looked every inch a title-winning team as they strolled past rivals.
Manchester United, on the other hand, were on a dodgy run of form that saw them put in multiple unconvincing performances in recent weeks. The Red Devils, however, showed they were up for the fight at home by claiming the semifinal spot.
Cody Gakpo was introduced in the 77th minute in place of Mohamed Salah, who scored his side's second goal of the game despite an uncharacteristically quiet performance. The Dutch international looked miles off it, as was evidenced by his attempting just one shot in his time on the pitch.
Sutton ripped into him after the game, with the pundit saying he looked like he wore his boots wrong for the game. The 24-year-old was lost for the most part of his time on the pitch, and only completed one dribble in 43 minutes. He said (via The Boot Room):
“Salah looked off it. And of course, there are reasons for that. I thought some of the substitutions, Gakpo came on and looked like he didn’t have his boots on the right feet."
The Red Devils successfully ended the Reds' pursuit of a Europa League quadruple in Jurgen Klopp's final season in charge. Both sides will return to league action after this month's international break.
Manchester United edge Liverpool in FA Cup thriller
Just over 24 hours after Coventry City and Wolves served up a thriller, Manchester United and Liverpool did the same in the FA Cup. The Red Devils edged their rivals 4-3 to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for a second successive season.
Scott McTominay (10') opened the scoring for the Red Devils before goals from Alexis Mac Allister (44') and Salah (45+2') turned the game around. Antony equalised for Manchester United with three minutes of regulation time left to bring up extra-time.
Harvey Elliott (105') restored Liverpool's lead in the first half of extra-time with a heavily deflected effort before Marcus Rashford (112') equalised once more. Amad Diallo (12-+1') scored the winner before receiving a second yellow card for taking off his shirt.
Manchester United will face Championship side Coventry City for a place in the final.
