Liverpool got their first win of the season and of the Andoni Iraola era by virtue of a 2-0 defeat over Ipswich Town at Portman Road thanks to a brace from Alexander Isak.
It was also the Reds' first clean sheet of the season after their opening two matches finished 2-2 against Newcastle United and then Nottingham Forest, so it was one big step in the right direction with a tough Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid on the horizon.
In an equally interesting plot line, the Kop finally saw the Newcastle version of Alexander Isak, and new signing Bradley Barcola made his debut in the second half. But it was Cody Gakpo who set up both of Isak's goals.
Up until the summer transfer window had closed, there were reports heavily linking the Dutchman with a move to either Tottenham or Manchester City.
Before the close of business on deadline day, there were still slivers of hope that Liverpool could land one of Brighton and Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh or Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr, but nothing wound up materializing on either front. As such, Gakpo will be staying on Merseyside for now and the club are treating him like a new signing, and his pair of assists reminded Liverpool what he's capable of.
A Word Of Caution For Barcola From Carragher
While Barcola did look lively when he entered proceedings in the 64th minute for Víctor Muñoz, it was Gakpo who really stood out on the night alongside Isak, a player who plays in similar positions to Barcola.
During the match, former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher sent out a tweet shortly after Gakpo had teed up Isak twice, jokingly sending a warning to Barcola.
"Barcola is going to struggle to get a game with this version of Gakpo."
It Takes A Village
With performances like the one he put forth at Portman Road, Gakpo will certainly be staking his claim to stay in Iraola's preferred starting eleven for Liverpool, but it's hard to imagine Barcola not quickly working his way into the starting lineup.
For Iraola, that's a luxury he'll now have in depth between Barcola, Gakpo, Muñoz, and Rio Ngumoah, while he could even use Dominik Szoboszlai or Jeremie Frimpong in wide attacking roles as well. Arne Slot had experimented with that before during his two seasons as manager.
Likewise, Gakpo can play as a center forward or false 9, which Iraola will keep in his back pocket to rotate Isak as matches come thick and fast across all competitions this season.
While Carragher does bring up a somewhat valid point, on current evidence from this season thus far and how many goals Gakpo has been involved in, it's more of a matter of whether Iraola can fit both him and Barcola in the starting lineup with Florian Wirtz and Isak - or will certain players get sacrificed at different times? It's a puzzle that the Spaniard will constantly have to piece together.
