Empire of the Kop
·22 March 2026
‘We have to win all seven’ – Gakpo sends Liverpool message

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Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·22 March 2026

The latest setback on the south coast summed up a season of false dawns for us, and Cody Gakpo didn’t shy away from that reality after Liverpool’s defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Speaking post-match to TNT Sports via Liverpoolfc.com, the Dutch attacker was refreshingly honest about both the result and the wider issues affecting the team.
Reacting to the defeat, Gakpo made it clear just how disappointing the performance was given the stakes.
“Disappointed. Obviously we wanted to win, which is important in the situation we are in, but it didn’t go that way. So, it was a difficult afternoon.”
The 26-year-old then addressed a pattern that has defined much of our campaign, failing to build on positive results.
“That’s frustrating. I think it’s happened a few times already this season, so that’s not good from our side. That’s frustrating.”
When asked if he knows why this keeps happening, the Netherlands international admitted there isn’t a simple answer.
“Not really. If we would know it then we would try to solve it but, like you said, it happened a few times already.”
That honesty reflects what many of us have been thinking, there’s no obvious fix, just a cycle that continues to repeat.
The game itself quickly turned against us when Hugo Ekitike was forced off early, something Gakpo highlighted as a major moment.
“Obviously a big blow. I think everybody [can] see how well he’s doing, so that’s a big blow.”
That disruption left the Dutch forward leading the line in a reshuffled attack, with key absentees already limiting our options going into the match.
John Aldridge pointed to deeper issues after the game, criticising both the defensive performance and the lack of physical output compared to Brighton.
Stephen Warnock went even further, suggesting Liverpool looked “soft” and unable to cope with the intensity imposed by the opposition, which again ties into the wider concerns about fitness and control.
Despite all of that, Gakpo’s message for the run-in was clear and simple.
“I think we just have to approach every game that we have to win it… we have to fight to win seven games.”
That’s the reality now, and if we’re going to salvage this season, the response has to start immediately.
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