100% duels won: Stan Collymore hails Liverpool wizard who ‘showed his importance’ v Real Madrid | OneFootball

Stan Collymore reserved praise for one Liverpool player who ‘showed his importance’ to the squad during the 2-0 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday night.

One of two changes to Arne Slot’s starting XI from last weekend’s win over Southampton saw Luis Diaz replace Cody Gakpo on the left flank, although the Netherlands winger came off the bench to score the clinching goal against the Champions League holders.

That now takes the 25-year-old’s tally for the season to seven goals, with five of those coming in the past 30 days (Transfermarkt).

Collymore praises Gakpo’s impact

In his latest column for CaughtOffside, Collymore praised the Dutchman for stepping up on a night when Mo Salah was surprisingly kept scoreless, having missed a penalty when Liverpool had a one-goal lead.

The former Reds striker wrote: “After all of the newspaper chatter about Mo Salah, it’s nice that other Liverpool players were weighing in to help keep them top of the group in the Champions League by a couple of points. Cody Gakpo showed his importance in another absolutely sensational five-star performance from Liverpool.”

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Gakpo proves his worth for Liverpool again

It’d be fair to say that other Liverpool players have garnered more attention than Gakpo so far this season, but the 25-year-old has been a quietly effective presence for the Reds, as his aforementioned scoring return illustrates.

He had roughly 25 minutes on the pitch last night (including stoppage time) but still made the most of it. As per Sofascore, he supplemented his goal by winning 100% of his duels, completing 100% of his dribbles and 92% of his passes, and recording one key pass and one clearance.

His introduction for Darwin Nunez – which saw Diaz shift to a central position – gave the home side a fresh impetus in attack, and the late header to make it 2-0 showed that Slot’s substitution was a smart one, although the Uruguayan had done plenty right during his time on the pitch also.

Will it be enough to earn Gakpo a starting berth against Manchester City on Sunday? We’d like to think he’s given himself every chance, although who makes way for him is another matter.