(Video) Cody Gakpo did something rather unusual during first half of FA Cup win v Barnsley
Cody Gakpo wasn’t among the Liverpool goalscorers in their 4-1 win over Barnsley on Monday night, but he caught the eye in a more unconventional sense during the first half.
The Dutchman was named in a strong starting XI by Arne Slot as the Reds successfully negotiated the challenge of the League One side, albeit with the eventual scoreline not quite reflecting how closely contested the game had been until the final few minutes.
The 26-year-old began the match at centre-forward but was switched to the left flank after the introduction of Hugo Ekitike on the hour mark, before then moving to the other wing later in the night.
Gakpo carried his boot for more than 50 yards
Just after the half-hour mark, Gakpo was adjusting his boot when the ball was passed in his direction, and he took possession before surging forward carrying that all-important footwear in his right hand.
Once he’d laid the ball off to Andy Robertson alongside him, the ex-PSV Eindhoven attacker continued with his run, and by the time he’d entered the penalty area, there was the rather amusing sight of him pointing to Rio Ngumoha with the clearly visible boot protruding from his hand.
How did Gakpo perform overall against Barnsley?
It probably wasn’t the most opportune of moments for Liverpool’s number 18 to adjust his footwear, but fair dues to him for reacting on the spot and running more than half the length of the pitch with only one boot on!
He ploughed something of a lone furrow at times last night, often being crowded out by a massed Barnsley defence and managing just one shot on target, although he seemed liberated by his switch to the left flank once Ekitike came on.
With the Frenchman back from injury and excelling off the bench, he seems certain to start at centre-forward against Burnley on Saturday, so Gakpo will likely revert to a wide role for the visit of Scott Parker’s side to Anfield.
While his overall performances might not be the most eye-catching, the 26-year-old is nonetheless Liverpool’s joint-second highest scorer for the season so far with six goals, and only a 97th-minute Harrison Reed howitzer prevented him from being the Reds’ stoppage-time hero against Fulham recently.
With Alexander Isak sidelined for another few weeks due to injury, Slot will continue to count on his Dutch compatriot to deliver the goods up front for his side in forthcoming matches.
You can see the clip of Gakpo carrying his boot below, via @oscvrr_ on X:
Gakpo running with a boot in his hand pic.twitter.com/GzD6bVRMP9
— oscar (@oscvrr_) January 12, 2026
You can watch Slot’s full post-Barnsley press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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