'It was a bit obvious' - Cody Gakpo makes honest Liverpool admission after 'beautiful' moment
Cody Gakpo has reacted to the reception he received during Liverpool's 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven
Cody Gakpo has admitted he will ‘cherish’ his return appearance to PSV Eindhoven despite ending up on the losing side. The forward opened the scoring for Liverpool from the penalty spot before being withdrawn after 52 minutes, as the Reds fell to a 3-2 defeat.
His 15th goal of the season, the 25-year-old has now netted 13 times from his last 20 appearances in all competitions. But coming against his boyhood club, Gakpo did not celebrate his latest strike.
Afforded a standing ovation when replaced early in the second half, the Dutchman paid tribute to supporters after the final whistle.
“I think it was a bit obvious (not to celebrate my goal) and that it was also the right approach with my past here,” he told Ziggo Sport after the final whistle. “The applause after my substitution was beautiful.
“I received a lot of love from the fans and I am very grateful for that. I think for me personally it was of course a special day. Something nice to cherish.
“But as a team and as a club you want to win. That is disappointing. The result was not what he had hoped for. You come here to win and that didn't work out.
“I think we tried to play it out well, but they scored two goals in five minutes at the end of the first half. We gave it away in that, that's a shame. It wasn't meant to be today.”
Gakpo would also share his gratitude to supporters on social media as he wrote on Instagram: “It wasn’t the result we had hoped for, but I’m grateful to have played again where it all began.
“It felt great to return and even better to see you, PSV’ers, again.”
Gakpo made 159 appearances for PSV, returning 55 goals and 50 assists, before joining Liverpool in an initial £35m deal in January 2023. The Dutchman now has 38 goals and 13 assists from 112 outings for the Reds, and is their second leading goalscorer so far this season behind Mohamed Salah.