Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has spoken for the first time since he was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings during the 1-1 draw between the sides at Anfield on Saturday.
Villans centre-back Mings caught Reds striker Gakpo with a high boot midway through the first half, which left the former PSV Eindhoven captain with a visible mark on his abdomen.
Gakpo later thought he had netted his seventh Premier League goal of the campaign. However, referee John Brooks ruled it out after consulting the VAR monitor.
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But unlike that second-half strike, which nestled in front of the Kop, Brooks didn't check the monitor for Mings' rash challenge on Gakpo and the England international was allowed to continue on the pitch with a caution.
"It was a heavy hit but the ref decided to give a yellow card then we have to just carry on," the 24-year-old told Astro Super Sport. "We just play and accept it."
"It was painful," Gakpo added. "I just hope it wasn't anything serious and that I could play through. I was okay."
Jurgen Klopp was serving the first of a two-match touchline ban - one of which is suspended until the end of next season - after being fined £75,000 following his comments after Liverpool's 4-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur last month.
The German was in the Main Stand for the draw against Villa and would not have been happy with the first-half showing as the Reds failed to land a glove on their European rivals.
Liverpool enjoyed a much-improved second-half display, finding the back of the net eventually through Roberto Firmino before piling the pressure on the visitors but ultimately settling for a point.
Gakpo, although arrived predominantly on the wings, has played as a false nine since his arrival at Anfield, which he admits he likes. The Netherlands international said: "In the second half, we sped up the play a little bit and there was more space for me to drop and come in between the lines.
"Then I can really produce something, help the team, I like to play there. I think it's one of my strengths that I can bring to the team but in the first half, it was a little bit difficult the space was tight.
"But then I or we have to create something to make it more difficult for them but we have to analyse that and do it better next time."
"The first aim was to adapt to the speed of play, new environment and everything but I really enjoyed it, the fans are amazing and the club is great. I'm looking forward to next season," Gakpo then reflected on his opening four months on Merseyside.
Firmino, on his final Liverpool match at Anfield, once again proved his worth as he cancelled out Jacob Ramsey's header. The 31-year-old is yet to confirm his next move but the Brazilian couldn't control his emotions during an emotional farewell in L4 as he was serenaded for the second time this week after the travelling Kop sang his iconic song during the win over Leicester City.
"I learned a lot from him, I'm still trying to learn a lot from him," said Gakpo. "There's still a few tiny thing here [to improve], I think everybody knows what kind of player he [Roberto Firmino] is, he's a great player and been helpful to me so I can learn a lot from him."
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