Arne Slot sent ‘message’ as ‘everything Gakpo touched turned into a flaming missile’

Cody Gakpo earned plenty of plaudits as Liverpool made it into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, with Vitezslav Jaros excelling on his full debut.

The Reds won 3-2 away to Brighton on Wednesday evening, not always making life easy for themselves but prevailing in their fourth round clash.

Gakpo delivered two emphatic finishes to put Liverpool in control, while Luis Diaz also found the net, as the visitors battled their way to victory.

Here’s how the media assessed the Reds’ latest triumph.

Gakpo was the star of the show for Liverpool…

The Mirror‘s Mark Jones was full of admiration for the silky Dutchman:

“He won’t want to be known as Liverpool’s Carabao Cup forward, but you can’t deny Gakpo’s impact when the sides are rotated and the stakes lowered somewhat.

“The Dutchman has repeatedly come up trumps for Liverpool in the competition, and this became his game in the second half.

“His first was stunning, blasting in from range on the angle, and then came the second when – moments after messing up a three-on-one break – he robbed Lamptey and blasted low into the net.

“On nights like this Gakpo is electric and such a valuable player for Liverpool to have. He’ll have more to say this season.”

Cody Gakpo is the fourth player in Liverpool's history to score his first four goals of a season in all competitions all in domestic cups (League/FA Cup):

David Fairclough 1979-80 (4)
Robbie Fowler 1993-93 (6)
Daniel Sturridge 2016-17 (4)
??Cody Gakpo 2024-25 (4)#LFC

— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) October 30, 2024

Meanwhile, Riath Al-Samarrai of the Mail was another who lauded Gakpo, suggesting that he deserves more minutes in the Premier League:

“Whatever else is said about the Carabao Cup and the merits of its earlier rounds, Cody Gakpo is doing more heavy lifting than most in Liverpool’s mission to defend this trophy.

“On a night when Arne Slot’s side built a 2-0 lead and conspired to make a drama of the final 10 minutes, it was Gakpo alone who stood out for his consistency amid the madness.

“That was best shown in the second-half stretch when everything he touched turned into a flaming missile, with two sublime goals taking his haul to four from two rounds so far.

“If there was a broader message in there about greater involvement in the more pressing business of the Premier League, then it was violently delivered with those strikes.”

Gary Rose of BBC Sport echoed that sentiment:

“There is something about the League Cup that seems to serve Gakpo well. Last year, he scored in four consecutive games in the competition to help the Reds reach the final, where they beat Chelsea, and that run has continued into this season.

“He has scored four goals so far in the current campaign and all of them have come in the League Cup, with his latest double coming after he scored two goals in the 5-1 win against West Ham in the previous round.

“He was perhaps given a helping hand by the Brighton defence in this game, with his first coming after the Seagulls backed off to give him too much space – although it was an excellent strike – while the second came from a Lamptey mistake.

“But the goals will give Gakpo confidence as he looks to carry this goalscoring form into the Premier League. Boss Arne Slot has mostly used him off the bench this season, but with a busy couple of months ahead for Liverpool, Gakpo is surely going to get more chances to impress in other comPetitions.”

There are most certainly individual directions and tactical instructions from Arne Slot behind it, but it’s absolutely joyful to see how competition is pushing Cody Gakpo and Luis Díaz to become better and better so far this season

— Maxi (@MaaxiAngelo) October 30, 2024

Full debutant Jaros also warranted praise…

Jones was highly impressed with Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper:

“Having come in from nowhere to make his first senior appearance for Liverpool in the win at Crystal Palace at the start of the month, Vitezslav Jaros was back in the Reds goal at the end of it, taking up the position of Carabao Cup keeper given Caoimhin Kelleher‘s recent promotion.

“At Selhurst Park Jaros was solid when he needed to be, but at Brighton he was able to showcase more of his abilities.

“He was good with the ball at his feet early on, stood up impressively to deny Tariq Lamptey when the Brighton man raced through in the first half and then produced a quite superb save from Adingra at the start of the second.

“He could have done better for Adingra’s goal, but looks primed for a good career.”

Mad the way we’ve got the 3 best keepers in the world

pic.twitter.com/Oi2U2yQJKx

— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) October 30, 2024

Finally, speaking after the Game, Slot couldn’t hide his admiration for Jaros:

“Everybody could see how important his saves were. The first big chance of the game was for them as well, one vs. one.

“In the second half, he made one or two saves as well, and he was comfortable with the ball at his foot, when to go short, when to clip the ball forward to the striker.”