On a terrific night overall, Cody Gakpo stood out in Liverpool’s thrilling 4-0 victory over LASK at home on Thursday.
With a convincing victory, Jurgen Klopp’s team easily advanced to the Europa League round of 16 after vastly outperforming their rivals.
Gakpo extended the home team’s lead just before halftime, after Luis Diaz had put Liverpool ahead.
The Reds won their group as Mohamed Salah made it 3-0 with a penalty kick and Gakpo added another goal later in the day.
Here, we contrast our player rankings with readers’ assessments from This Is Anfield, Goal, Liverpool Echo, and FotMob.
At Anfield, Gakpo (8.3) received the highest rating overall because he was a constant presence and earned a brace.
Despite having to settle for a supporting role in the attack this season, the Dutchman was regarded as the best on a memorable night.
Gakpo was a “danger when dropping deep and linking with team-mates,” according to Ian Doyle of the Echo, who also noted that he brought unique qualities to Liverpool’s attacking lineup.
Richard Mills of GOAL praised the 24-year-old for his “industrious performance,” calling it a show “full of quality and selflessness.”
Salah and Diaz traded places for second place (7.7).
Both players found the scoresheet at Anfield; Doyle even referred to the former as “the best player on the pitch by some distance,” while James Nalton of TIA praised the latter as a “constant threat.”
Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez, and Caoimhin Kelleher were the next to be considered; each received a rating of 7.4 for their contributions to the victory.
Mills felt that Endo “grew into the contest as it progressed,” also stating that he was “the pick of Liverpool’s midfielders.” It was hard to be critical of any Liverpool player on the night, but Ryan Gravenberch (6.7) received the lowest score for a hit-and-miss display.
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