Cody Gakpo has insisted there is much more to come - from him and his team - after he finally broke his Liverpool duck in the derby.
The £45m January signing had gone precisely 546 minutes without a goal or assist since his move to Anfield…and finally broke his duck in the best way possible, to seal victory over bitter rivals Everton.
It was a goal which manager Jurgen Klopp said afterwards was “exactly the goal each striker is dreaming of when it didn’t happen for a while; really important”, and the Dutch World Cup star agreed. “The guys who say it doesn’t affect them when they don’t score are lying - so it was a really good moment for me, and I am really happy about it,” he explained.
“The dream is that you score in the first minute of the first game you play. In the end I had to wait a little bit, but really delighted that I can score this one in derby.
“Virgil (van Dijk) told me all about the derby and said it’s going to be a big fight. He also remind me he scored his first goal against Everton - so it was an amazing moment for the team, and for me."
Gakpo arrived with a big reputation after an exciting World Cup, where he helped steer Holland to a quarter final showdown with eventually winners Argentina they only lost on penalties after a dramatic tie.
But he has suffered with the expectation, and the problem of joining a team that was struggling when he arrived. Now though, with the burden off his back, he says the aim is simple for himself and his side:
“The aim now (for me) is to score many more. And this is a start now of hopefully a few games in a row that we can get all of the points and win.
“It’s really important to get the first win of the year. Everyone knew we were struggling a bit but we know we have a lot of quality and we can turn things around and this is the first step.”
The win changes the whole dynamic for a Liverpool side which had seemed to all but give up on a challenge for a top four position, after a disastrous Premier League run in January without a victory.
They travel to Newcastle on Saturday knowing a win will put them just six points behind the club currently fourth in the table…and with Klopp’s side holding a game in hand.
Gakpo knows that despite his goal his place is under pressure, with Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino both back from injury and Luis Diaz about to join them. But he relishes the challenge and welcomes the return of such quality.
“We all know what they can do on the pitch so it is only making us stronger," he insisted. “We have more options, more quality, and we’re more likely to win games. That’s most important at this point, whatever helps us put a run of wins together.”
