Liverpool

Liverpool returned from the World Cup break with a big win over Aston Villa, which could be crucial in the Champions League race.

[Joe Gomez](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/102053/Joe-Gomez) (Alexander-Arnold, 79"), N/R [Stefan Bajcetic](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/330605/Stefan-Bajcetic) (Henderson, 79"), N/R -- Took just two minutes to get himself onto the scoresheet with a cool finish from inside of the box. [Ben Doak](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/332948/ben-doak) (Nunez, 87"), N/R -- A Premier League debut for Ben Doak. [Fabinho](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/176287/Fabinho), 7 -- Followed up his strong performance in midweek [against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup](/soccer/english-carabao-cup/story/4837136/haaland-looks-restedman-city-look-like-carabao-cup-faves) with another aggressive display from the No. [Naby Keita](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/196567/Naby-Keita) (Thiago, 66"), 6 -- Fired a strike over the bar with a promising opportunity from outside of the box. [Harvey Elliott](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/280806/Harvey-Elliott) (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 66"), 6 -- Passed the ball well in closed spaces to help build Liverpool attacks, and kept things simple. That was until [Stefan Bajcetic](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/330605/Stefan-Bajcetic) was introduced for Liverpool and the 18-year-old's goal in the 81st minute eased Liverpool's nerves as they saw out the remainder of the game. [Andy Robertson](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/104943/Andy-Robertson), 8 -- The Scotland captain utilised his space on the left flank to produce an excellent opening ball to Nunez. Defender [Virgil van Dijk](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/157892/Virgil-van-Dijk) added a second goal after a number of Liverpool chances, with Salah turning provider to help earn a two-goal lead before the break. Worked hard to maintain the press from the front. Impressed with his distribution from the back again. He scored Liverpool's second goal to hand his side a two-goal lead going into the break. Jurgen Klopp, 8 -- Klopp adapted well to Aston Villa's changes throughout the match to ensure that the Reds didn't ever lose grip, despite a difficult start to the second half.

The transfer fee is between £35m and £45m. A PSV statement on Monday said: "PSV and LFC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo.

Gakpo has all the attributes required of a modern forward and after his perfect treble at the World Cup had clubs across Europe scrambling for his signature before Liverpool won the race. That mentality will have impressed his suitors as much as his league-topping tally of goals and assists. His steadily rising goals- and assists-per-90 minutes stats for his club show that extra homework is paying off. At PSV he has shone as a left winger, cutting inside. A goal in each group stage game - one with his head, one with his left foot and one with his right foot - was testament to his rapidly improving play in the final third, appetite for the big stage and versatility. Cody Gakpo's stock increased at the World Cup with three goals in five appearances before the Netherlands were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina; Man Utd had shown interest in Gakpo in the summer before pursuing a deal for Antony from Ajax

Liverpool appear to have won the race to sign Dutch international forward Cody Gakpo after PSV Eindhoven announced an agreement with the English giants on ...

"PSV and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo," PSV said in a statement. PSV general manager Marcel Brands said the transfer fee would be a club record for the Dutch club. Eindhoven (Netherlands) (AFP) – Liverpool appear to have won the race to sign Dutch international forward Cody Gakpo after PSV Eindhoven announced an agreement with the English giants on Monday.

The 23-year-old starred at the World Cup, scoring three goals in Qatar, and is now on his way to England to finalise a switch to Merseyside.

The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer. “The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer.” “PSV and Liverpool have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo,” an official club statement read.

Manchester United have missed out on signing top January transfer target Cody Gakpo after PSV Eindhoven confirmed that they've agreed a club-record deal to ...

Although talks between the relevant parties and United had opened this time around, Liverpool boss [Jurgen Klopp](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/jurgen-klopp) instigated a swoop for Gakpo and advanced Liverpool's pursuit beyond that of United's. Ten Hag is said to be a fan of "But doing something again that is very positive - why not?" Should Man Utd have outbid Liverpool for Gakpo? As Gakpo scored three goals in five games, Van Dijk convinced him to make the switch to Merseyside which played a key role in his decision. [Aston Villa](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/aston-villa-fc) on Boxing Day. Have your say! I think that quality is always welcome at Liverpool." Over the summer, the Dutch manager opted against following through on interest in the [Netherlands](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/netherlands-football-team) international in favour of signing Brazilian winger Antony from his former club, [Ajax](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/ajax-fc). When officials at Old Trafford - who were keen on an alternative payment structure - learned of Liverpool's progress, they decided not to make a counter-offer and admit defeat. Gakpo, 23, is now en route to Merseyside and set to complete a medical before officially becoming a Liverpool player. [Tottenham Hotspur](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/tottenham-hotspur-fc) to the signing of [Luis Diaz](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/luis-diaz) in January of this year, [Jurgen Klopp](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/jurgen-klopp) and Co have trumped United's efforts and are [close signing the sought-after Dutch forward](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/cody-gakpo-liverpool-man-utd-28819163).

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic struck at Villa Park.

The Reds needed to calm the game as Villa remained a threat but they failed and Watkins pulled a goal back after 59 minutes, nodding in Douglas Luiz’s cross. It was one which suddenly looked unstable when Watkins drilled into the corner seconds after the re-start, but was offside, and McGinn fluffed a stooping header. But, from the resulting corner, the hosts failed to clear and Salah teed up Van Dijk to rifle in, via a small deflection off Konsa. Nunez should have added a third before the break, instead steering at Olsen from close range, but a two-goal cushion gave the Reds a perfect second-half platform. Villa could have been 3-0 down but equally could have been ahead such was the game’s generous nature and Salah was next up, dragging wide after half an hour. It was a miss which summed up Villa’s attacking threat – all promise and no quality – and one they would quickly rue.

Jurgen Klopp vowed Liverpool will be a "pain in the backside" in the race for the Champions League.

"I want to be optimistic, I am disappointed and a bit angry but the attitude was amazing from the players. Villa boss Unai Emery said: "We had a great effort and the result was so hard for us. Stefan being that calm and having the necessary luck with the finish was special. We have to go through difficult moments, today we got three points and that’s the best way to get closer. We are not in the best position, there is distance between us and other teams, we know that. "We have to do our part and it means winning football games.

Liverpool struck a world-record deal to sign defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton on this day five years ago.

Van Dijk made his Liverpool debut against Everton on January 5, 2018 in the third round of the FA Cup and scored the winner. Today is a proud day for me and my family as I join one of the biggest clubs in world football. The club wishes Virgil well in his future when the deal is completed on January 1, 2018.”

Free highlights and match report as goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic helped move Jurgen Klopps Liverpool up to sixth in the ...

On closing the gap to the top four: "We have to be the pain in the backside for everybody. "The second half we needed to keep, again, our game plan and to try to get chances to score and opportunities to come back. One final run in behind the defence led to Liverpool's third goal. It proved decisive in the end. the possibility of having possession, don't concede the easy transition and, if someone lost his position, they done it and, second half, we reacted very well." In a difficult game we played a lot of good stuff. But the home side caused plenty of problems at the other end - and it made for a great game. We had some massive counter-attacks and could have scored the third goal much earlier. But such is the potency of this Liverpool team, going toe-to-toe with Salah and the rest always looked to be a risk. Watkins evaded Joel Matip to head the ball into the corner and the momentum looked to be with Emery's men. It was tough on Villa but Liverpool's quality told in the end. Ollie Watkins' expertly placed header halved the deficit and chances continued to flow at both ends in a wide-open contest with Darwin Nunez particularly wasteful.

How do you solve a problem like Darwin Nunez? Liverpool's response to that dilemma has now been made clear by their move to sign Cody Gakpo.

In 20 games in all competitions, the 23-year-old has scored nine goals and registered four assists, but it is the missed chances that have led to the spotlight being fixed on the forward. From a Liverpool perspective, Nunez is making up for his lack of goals with incredible work-rate for the team and an obvious desire to come through the tough times he is enduring. The signing of Gakpo is proof of that. [Liverpool](/soccer/team?id=364)'s response to that dilemma has now been made clear by their move to sign [Cody Gakpo](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/249524/Cody-Gakpo) in a £37 million transfer from [PSV Eindhoven](/soccer/team?id=148) -- a deal that has been done so quietly and efficiently that the [Netherlands](/soccer/team?id=449) forward [could be signed and sealed at Anfield as soon as the winter transfer window officially opens](/soccer/soccer-transfers/story/4838646/liverpool-beat-man-united-to-agreement-for-cody-gakpo-with-psv) on Jan. Nunez is now entering a key period of his Liverpool career, however. Firmino has since become an undisputed Liverpool legend with his goals and performances, but there aren't many who can say they have turned a difficult situation around quite like the Placing too much emphasis on xG can be misleading, though. Nunez has scored just one "heavy" goal for Liverpool so far -- the winner in the 1-0 victory against West Ham in October -- so he needs to deliver more often in the big games when chances are at a premium and the value of goals is so much higher. Gakpo's arrival could be viewed in two ways by Nunez. [Darwin Nunez](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/271788/Darwin-Núñez)? [Sadio Mane](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/169797/Sadio-Mané) has moved on to [Bayern Munich](/soccer/team?id=132) in that time, and the [Senegal](/soccer/team?id=654) international has been a huge loss to Liverpool, but that exit has been counter-balanced by Salah committing himself to a new three-year contract in July. [Luis Diaz](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/257390/Luis-Díaz), [Diogo Jota](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/208133/Diogo-Jota) and [Roberto Firmino](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/147234/Roberto-Firmino) are all sidelined with injuries of varying severity right now, but when they are fully fit, adding them to a group that also includes [Mohamed Salah](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/173896/Mohamed-Salah), [Fabio Carvalho](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/231049/Fabio-Carvalho) and Nunez will ensure a regular selection headache for Klopp, even before Gakpo is brought into the equation.

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Cody Gakpo for a fee between £35m and £45m from PSV; Jurgen Klopps side need to make up ground on the top four ...

Gakpo has all the attributes required of a modern forward and after his perfect treble at the World Cup had clubs across Europe scrambling for his signature before Liverpool won the race. "It wouldn't surprise me if they did something else in the midfield but Gakpo is an exciting signing. Premier League rules require completed documents by midday of the last working day before the match. As a result, Liverpool's forward options are reduced to Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. That mentality will have impressed his suitors as much as his league-topping tally of goals and assists. His steadily rising goals and assists-per-90 minutes stats for his club show that extra homework is paying off.

Liverpool have struck a deal to sign Cody Gakpo – but how does the young forward compare with the options currently at Jurgen Klopp's disposal?

Diogo Jota – 1.4 (1.4) But how does Gakpo stack up against the forwards in Liverpool’s squad? Luis Diaz – 2.3 (1.8) Roberto Firmino – 3.2 (2.3) Roberto Firmino is out of contract in the summer and may depart Anfield after eight years of service. Cody Gakpo – 28.9 (76.5%) For a young guy like him, it’s really special to see that attitude.” That decision has been vindicated, with a number of top-level clubs – most notably Liverpool’s old rivals Manchester United – chasing his signature. Diogo Jota – 0.9 (24.3%) “There were rumours over the whole period and I admire that a lot in him. Cody Gakpo – 2.1 (41%) “It is wonderful how he has showcased himself.