Alan Shearer lauds Cody Gakpo's role in Dominik Szoboszlai's Liverpool goal

Alan Shearer lauded Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo for his role in Dominik Szoboszlai's goal against AC Milan.

Having come from behind to take a 2-1 lead into half-time at the San Siro thanks to goals from Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, the Reds came out firing in the second-half of their Champions League tie and eventually got their just reward with Szoboszlai's 67th-minute strike.

But it was Gakpo's role in the build-up that particularly caught the eye for Shearer, with the former Premier League striker left in awe at the Dutchman's efforts to provide the assist for his Liverpool teammate.

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Picking the ball up on the left wing, Gakpo drove forward as the Reds pressed for a third goal to kill the game off. He managed to take the ball all the way into the penalty box, skipping past one or two challenges before cutting it back to the oncoming Szoboszlai to tuck into the back of the net.

And while it may have looked like a simple move for Liverpool on first viewing, Shearer was fully aware of the effort Gakpo had to go to in order to provide for the Hungarian.

Commentating on the game for Amazon Prime, Shearer said: “The way he stops the defender, and just goes. Can he pick out Salah or Szoboszlai - and he does. Really good play from Gakpo. When you get into that position you don't want to let your teammate down by not delivering that final ball. He certainly didn't.”

Gakpo provided the perfect response to being left on the bench for the first four games of the season with his San Siro display, providing an energetic performance that played a big role in helping Liverpool secure all three points in Milan.

Luis Diaz has emerged as Arne Slot's first-choice on the left-wing in 2024-25 and certainly repaid his managers faith with three goals and one assist in the first three Premier League games of the campaign.

However, he was afforded a rest against AC Milan and Gakpo, who frequently featured through the middle under Jurgen Klopp, was entrusted by Slot to resume his favored position on the left. And as it happened, the 25-year-old provided an assist on his first start of the season to give Slot plenty to think about ahead of this weekend's clash with Bournemouth.