Cody Gakpo scored his first Liverpool goal in his seventh game for the club (Photo: Getty)
Cody Gakpo has admitted he’s playing out of position at Liverpool after scoring his first goal for the club in Monday night’s Merseyside derby win.
Liverpool beat local rivals Everton 2-0 at Anfield – the Reds’ first Premier League win of 2023 – thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Gakpo.
It was a much need victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side and a much needed goal for Gakpo who has badly struggled since his £36million move from PSV in January.
But the Dutch World Cup star looked back to his best against the Toffees, tapping home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross shortly after the break to seal the three points.
‘It was amazing, good moment for the team and also a really good moment for me so I am really happy about it,’ the 23-year-old told Match of the Day.
‘The dream is that you score in the first minute of the first game you play. In the end I have to wait a little bit but really delighted that I can score this one. The goal is to score many more.
‘Really important to get the first win of the year. Everyone knew we were struggling a bit but we know we have a lot of quality and we can turn things around and this is the first step.’
There has been some confusion over what position Gakpo will play for Liverpool, having been used primarily as a left-winger throughout his career.
Klopp has deployed him more at centre-forward with striker Darwin Nunez shifted over to the left instead, and Gakpo admitted it is something he’s not used to but is enjoying.
‘Obviously I played a few games in the centre and then more like a false nine to be involved in the build-up and then from there go forward,’ he told Sky Sports when asked about his best position.
Striker Darwin Nunez has been moved over to the left-flank recently (Photo: Getty)
‘So it’s a different role from what I’m used to but I think it’s good for me to improve in that position and I’ll keep working on it.’
It remains to be seen whether he’ll remain in this role with fellow forwards Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino returning from injury to come off the bench against Everton, while Luis Diaz is also due to return soon.
‘It’s important that the guys coming back add more quality to the team and we all know what they can do on the pitch so it is only making us stronger,’ Gakpo added.
‘This is a start of hopefully a few games in a row that we can get all of the points and win.’
Next up for Liverpool is a trip to high-flying Newcastle on Saturday.
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Gakpo’s goal sealed the Merseyside derby for Liverpool.
