Steven Gerrard’s frustration with Liverpool after Wolves defeat boils over as he rips into Cody Gakpo

Last Updated on 5 March 2026

Liverpool suffered a ninth defeat in 29 Premier League matches in the 2025/26 campaign, putting them at risk of missing out on a Champions League spot for next season.

The latest loss came to a resurgent Wolves side at Molineux, with the home side scoring a 94th minute winner. It became the fifth winner that the defending champions have conceded, and the first any Premier League winning side has ever conceded to a rock-bottom team.

Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard, was very critical of the Reds’ performance, singling out Cody Gakpo’s contributions in a scathing attack, post-match.

Gerrard slams Cody Gakpo in a ‘complete waste’ display by Liverpool

For Steven Gerrard, Liverpool’s entire first-half display, in his words, was “a complete waste.” It’s not the first time the former Liverpool captain has been critical of the Reds under Slot.

“For 65 minutes Liverpool were desperate tonight, really poor,” Gerrard said to TNT after the game. “They didn’t create enough, they didn’t play the right speed or the right tempo, they didn’t have enough quality.”

The criticism quickly turned toward Cody Gakpo, whose performance Gerrard contrasted with the brief impact of youngster Rio Ngumoha. Gakpo has been central to criticism from the Liverpool fanbase after a relatively poor campaign.

According to Gerrard, the difference in intensity between the two players was impossible to ignore.

“He has to start Ngumoha now, he has to start him,” Gerrard continued. “He’s coming on and doing more in a short cameo than Gakpo’s doing in 65, 70 minutes.”

Gerrard went further, suggesting the teenager had already done enough to force his way into the starting lineup. “He deserves a start now, he’s got to start the kid on Friday night.”

Liverpool’s defeat expose cracks in Slot’s system

While individual performances drew criticism, the defeat also highlighted structural issues that run far deeper than one off-night.

Virgil van Dijk himself admitted Liverpool were “slow, predictable and sloppy” in possession, a damning assessment from the captain of a team chasing Champions League football.

Even the decisive moment of the match reflected those concerns. When Wolves scored their stoppage-time winner, substitute Rio Ngumoha failed to track a runner down Liverpool’s flank. For a young player trying to prove he deserves more opportunities, the lapse was glaring.

Yet the captain himself could not escape scrutiny. Earlier in the match, Van Dijk was beaten too easily in a physical duel with Tolu Arokodare, the moment that led directly to Wolves’ opening goal.

All this points to a lack of intensity which stems from the coaching rather than a single player. The blame rests entirely on Arne Slot’s system, which only becomes more apparent given how Liverpool only look dangerous going forward when they are also open at the back.

This means that the Dutchman has failed to utilize his squad in a way that can bring about results consistently. Even the last couple of months when results have apparently improved, the Reds look vulnerable to defeats, not a trait you identify with defending champions.