Ian Wright was critical of one Liverpool player following the FA Cup exit against Manchester United on Sunday.
The Reds twice relinquished winning positions to end up losing 4-3 after extra time and bowing out of the competition, and the ITV Sport pundit felt that one of Jurgen Klopp’s substitutes failed to have the desired impact.
The ex-Arsenal striker said: “Obviously they’re going to be disappointed with it because he [Klopp] said there were chances in that game where Liverpool could’ve finished it off, but the final ball and finishing weren’t really great.
“I didn’t think Cody Gakpo did too much when he came on, but at the same time you’ve got to get over this.”
Liverpool carried a 2-1 lead into the second half of normal time and dominated for large spells, but couldn’t make the most of it on the scoreboard and duly paid the price.
Gakpo will be having nightmares over the five-on-two breakaway when, with three teammates in space to his right, he delayed far too long in making the pass to Harvey Elliott, whose subsequent decision-making with the ball was also to our cost.
The £120,000-per-week Dutchman lost possession seven times in total and came out second best in six of his 10 duels yesterday (Sofascore), so there’ll be aspects of his game that he knows he can improve going forward.
However, it most certainly doesn’t excuse the vitriolic abuse he’s been receiving on social media. The 24-year-old is still a hugely valuable contributor to this Liverpool team, and we’re sure he’ll bounce back quickly.
You can view Wright’s comments below (from 3:47) via ITV Sport on YouTube: