“Blistering” Cody Gakpo stars as Vitezslav Jaros enjoys “confident” full Liverpool debut

Cody Gakpo excelled in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory away to Brighton, but Jarell Quansah did his chances of regular Football some harm.

The Reds booked a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night, following an entertaining clash at the Amex Stadium.

Gakpo scored two great strikes in quickfire time to put Liverpool 2-0 up early in the second half, while Luis Diaz found the net in between two Brighton goals.

Here we compare our player ratings with those of the Liverpool Echo, GOAL, FotMob and This Is Anfield’s readers.

Gakpo (8.8) was superb for Liverpool, proving to be the match-winner after two fantastic strikes.

The first was particularly ruthless, with the Dutchman unleashing a ferocious strike, and he was the star of the show for the Reds.

Gakpo was described as “blistering” by Ian Doyle of the Echo, while This Is Anfield’s Mark Delgado believes he could keep his place at home to the Seagulls this weekend.

It was a special night for Vitezslav Jaros (7.5), too, who was handed his first-ever start for Liverpool, and he should feel proud of his efforts.

The 23-year-old made one outstanding save after the break that proved crucial, with Doyle saying he was “comfortable with ball at his feet and confident in all aspects.”

Diaz (7.4) also produced a lively performance in a rare right-sided attacking role, finishing Liverpool’s scoring on the night.

The Colombian now has six strikes for the season and the clinical nature of his goal was further proof that his end product has improved.

Mark Doyle of GOAL praised both Diaz and Gakpo, rightly claiming that Liverpool are “fortunate to have two fantastic forwards vying for the same spot!”

It wasn’t a good night for Quansah (5.1), however, who easily got the worst score, gifting Brighton a goal and seeing Tariq Lamptey’s shot deflect off him for the other.

He was even substituted in stoppage time, which felt pointed from Arne Slot, which Delgado claimed was “harsh.”