Gakpo holds a slot machine.

Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo would both have valid reasons to be experiencing intense deja vu right now. For the Liverpool forwards, the season is coming to an abrupt conclusion in a far different way than it did a year ago.

Gakpo is once again finishing strongly as arguably the first-choice number nine, despite an uneven campaign. Nunez, on the other hand, has become disoriented despite being the most effective and favored option down the center for extended periods of time this term.

Gakpo, who has been one of the few Liverpool players to completely embrace the task since the March international break, put on another outstanding performance. His absence in the Goodison derby loss was noted acutely, in fact.

Here, the Dutchman impressed with his strength, playmaking skills, and line-leading abilities. Additionally, he was productive; after encouraging Salah to score the first goal with a clipped cross, he superbly headed Elliott’s pass home for a well-earned goal.

Later on, after a quick counterattack by Liverpool, Nunez’s ill-advised cameo was summed up by his failure to locate his unmarked teammate, so Gakpo really should have had another. The Uruguayan played in just two of Liverpool’s final ten games of the previous campaign. He’s scheduled for just four of the previous eight games this term.

Having faced Gakpo in the Eredivisie, the new manager of Liverpool, Arne Slot, will be well-versed in the player’s background. Like last year, there is a real question mark over who the Reds’ top offensive leader should be heading into the upcoming season.

Elliott transmits a message

Harvey Elliott is one athlete who may have had a grievance with his team’s selection this season.

Jurgen Klopp has frequently praised him after a string of outstanding cameos, but with the disclaimer that they were typically used as substitutes rather than starters.

Elliott’s inability to consistently hold his favored place on the right side of the midfield trio has contributed to this in part.

Though Elliott was just making his ninth Premier League start of the season, he had already improved in the role after shining in it at his previous club, Fulham, a fortnight ago. This was even before Elliott’s lightning-fast strike for Liverpool’s fourth goal.

While he was on the field, Elliott produced the most opportunities on both sides and, in a move that highlighted his sometimes disregarded perseverance, made the most ball recoveries for the Reds. After accounting for a successful stint with the England under-21 team, Elliott now has four goals and nine assists for Liverpool this season. This season, he has contributed 24 goals for both club and country.

He’s only getting started at age 21. Elliott might have a strong season next year.

Bajectic’s challenging comeback

The pessimists will argue that Liverpool is starting to falter after cruising to a four-goal lead. And for a while, the Anfield crowd’s festive mood definitely faded.

But in the end, Tottenham were soundly defeated by a Reds team that showed why they had been in that discussion for so long when they were not burdened with the title race.

After the disastrous VAR experiment in the rematch in September, was there a hint of retaliation in mind? Maybe. Still, that undoubtedly added to the sweetness of this win.

Even though Wataru Endo wasn’t playing at his peak, Tottenham wasn’t able to seriously penetrate the Reds defense until he was removed. A portion of that could be attributed to Stefan Bajcetic’s ring rustiness; he hadn’t played for the first team in almost eight months and hadn’t played in the Premier League in more than a year.

Klopp remarked afterward, “He comes on and it’s like you arrive on the motorway with your bicycle!”

But after going through such a trying period with injuries, Bajcetic’s simple presence on the field was a relief. The child is among the few individuals for whom the season is ending way too soon.