ReactionCody Gakpo on third UCL win: 'A good performance but we have to stay focused'
“We have to keep up the focus,” insisted Cody Gakpo as Liverpool maintained a perfect record in the Champions League by winning at RB Leipzig.
A first-half goal from Darwin Nunez – nudged home after Mohamed Salah’s header across the area – secured a 1-0 result for Arne Slot’s men in Germany on Wednesday night.
Denied a second on multiple occasions by their former goalkeeper, Leipzig’s Peter Gulacsi, the Reds also needed their own Caoimhin Kelleher to make several impressive saves to preserve a clean sheet.
The victory – a club-record sixth in a row away from home to start the season – sees Liverpool sit alongside Aston Villa as the only teams with the maximum nine points from three matchdays so far.
Gakpo reflected on the evening’s work with Liverpoolfc.com post-match – read his reaction below…
On what he felt was key to the result on the evening…
To put in a lot of work – defensively [and] also with the attacking. I think we worked very hard. We chose good moments to counter-attack, also to attack, and I think we did very well. Sometimes we just kept the ball as well. I think it was overall a good performance. At the end, we defended well. We needed Caoimh and the back line to save us, but that’s also a strength of us now and we are very happy with that.
On staying composed in the strong moments RB Leipzig had…
Yeah, I think that’s the most important. Obviously you can play very well on the ball, but against a good opponent you know [there are] some moments in the game [where] maybe they have some good moments. It’s all about to not concede at those times and stay locked in – and I think that’s what we did well today. Then, after those situations we gained control again and that’s how we mostly won this game today. We should have scored more goals I think, but at the end a win is a win so very happy.
On Kostas Tsimikas’ display and the importance of players making big contributions when they come into the side…
Kosti did very well. I played together with him on the left and I think we have a good connection; he played me, he made the overlap, I tried to play him and sometimes I go inside. Also with the goal, I think I got the ball, he made a good run, I gave it to him and then a great cross, how we know him. Then a good header from Mo and Darwin scored. He was very well involved and also defensively he stood his ground. Very good performance from him and he got [UEFA] Man of the Match so that says it all. Very happy for him that he showed that.
On Liverpool being one of only two teams with a 100 per cent record in the Champions League this season…
Obviously it’s the Champions League, a different set-up, maybe some more difficult games. We started off very well but there’s a few more matches in the group stage so we are not done yet and have to stay focused. But it shows the good start of us.
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.