06 March 2023 , 12:17
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Given that Cody Gakpo was heavily linked with a transfer to Manchester United in the months leading up to his surprise switch to Anfield, it was, perhaps, inevitable that he would set the tone for one of the most memorable triumphs in recent Liverpool history.
The Dutchman left Fred trailing in his wake before cutting in from the left-hand side to sweep a low strike beyond David de Gea into the far corner.
In the end, Gakpo's fine strike on the stroke of half-time turned out to be the prelude to a second-half rout: he would go on to help himself to a second, whilst Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah also bagged doubles. Roberto Firmino compounded Manchester United's misery in the dying embers of the game to make it 7-0 to the Reds.
The impact Gakpo had against United will not have gone unnoticed by Erik ten Hag, who has long been an admirer of the versatile forward.
During his time at the helm of Ajax, Ten Hag saw the former PSV Eindhoven star up close week in week out in the Eredivisie and was keen on acquiring the 23-year-old in the January transfer window.
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In the days leading up to the New Year, United were favourites to land the sought-after striker. However, Liverpool stole a march on their rivals and clinched Gakpo's signature on Boxing Day - a development which led to Ten Hag privately expressing his 'disappointment' to the Old Trafford hierarchy.
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Cody Gakpo, a former target of Erik ten Hag, scored twice against Manchester United (Michael Regan/Getty)Despite Manchester United's interest, Gakpo revealed last month that he had no second thoughts about deciding to move to Anfield once Liverpool's interest had been firmed up and he'd had the chance to speak to Jurgen Klopp.
Speaking last month, Gakpo said: "I heard about Liverpool’s interest - and I think five days later the deal was done. My manager and brother knew about it for a longer time, but I said to them at the World Cup not to tell me anything because I have to focus. As soon as I heard about the interest, the feeling was ‘come on, let's go.’
Two months on, Ten Hag could only watch glumly as Gakpo played a starring role for Liverpool. His counterpart, on the other hand, was delighted after all three members of his new look front three bagged a double against United, whose own forwards struggled to lay a glove on their opponents.
Speaking after the match, Klopp purred: “Nobody is in doubt about Darwin’s [Nunez] future impact because he’s a real force of nature. But Cody [Gakpo] plays in the most difficult area of the pitch against a man-marking side, but look how he keeps himself on his feet and provides the overview for everyone else. And Mo [Salah] is Mo!”