Cody Gakpo says Liverpool need to improve as they prepare to host West Ham United at Anfield on Saturday.
Liverpool edged Nottingham Forest 1-0 away from home thanks to a 97th-minute winner from Alexis Mac Allister. It was a dramatic finish, but head coach Arne Slot and his players were open in their assessment that the performance fell short of expectations.
“If you saw how the game was going, not the best game from our side,” Gakpo said at the AXA Training Centre. “Not really much happened. And then to get a win, I think everybody would take that.”
The result continued a strong run of form in terms of outcomes, with Liverpool having lost only twice in their last 20 matches in all competitions since beating West Ham away earlier in the season. However, Gakpo was honest about the team’s inconsistency.
“It’s not an easy season for the team,” he said. “We were too inconsistent at times; to play one good game and then the level dropped significantly the next game. But I think the last few weeks were better performance-wise and result-wise.”
Gakpo, who is closing in on 50 goals for the club, admitted the milestone would mean something. “I need two more, yes! It’s always nice to reach certain amounts and I think 50 goals is an amount that counts in some way, so yeah, that would be nice.”
He also praised teenager Rio Ngumoha, who impressed off the bench against Forest. “Very excited. He’s a very good player at this age already and he showed that again when he came on,” Gakpo said. “He’s a great character, they don’t get carried away by either good or bad things.”
Looking ahead, the Dutch forward stressed the importance of restoring Anfield’s aura. “It’s always very important to have a very strong home front. We just have to start winning all the games again at Anfield.”
With Liverpool still competing in the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup, Gakpo remains ambitious. “If we could win the Champions League and the FA Cup and reach top four, then it would be an amazing season as well.”
