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Steven Gerrard has urged Arne Slot to axe Cody Gakpo and replace him with Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha who "did more in a short space of time" off the bench than the Dutchman.

The teenager has continued to blossom at Anfield, enjoying a breakout moment earlier this season when he scored a late winner against Newcastle. He was brought on at Wolves and immediately posed a serious threat despite Liverpool's late loss.

Ngumoha saw one effort pushed onto the post whilst he also produced a stunning delivery for Virgil van Dijk, who should've done more with his headed attempt. And now Gerrard wants to see the 17-year-old given a rare start when the Reds play Wolves in the FA Cup.

The Reds icon told TNT Sports: "For 65 minutes Liverpool were desperate tonight, really poor, didn’t create enough, didn’t play at the right speed or the right tempo, didn’t have enough quality.

"He has to start Ngumoha now. He has to start him because he’s coming on and he’s doing more in a short cameo in a short space of time than Gakpo’s doing in 65, 70 minutes. ‘He deserves to start now. He’s got to start the kid on Friday night [in the FA Cup]."

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Slot has previously urged caution over Ngumoha's development, insisting he is getting the necessary minutes at his age. Liverpool's frontline has struggled despite their stellar names with Gakpo yet to hit double figures this season despite being a regular.

Gerrard was also critical of his former side's performance, especially during the opening 45 minutes, calling out their defensive frailties and their lack of productivity in attack as their Champions League hopes took another hit at Molineux. He said: "The first half [against Wolves] was a complete waste from a Liverpool point of view. No urgency, no ball speed change when you got into the final third of the pitch, there wasn’t much quality or penetration.

"The other thing is they’ve got to stop conceding really poor goals. It was a basic ball up to a target man, a focal point, you’ve got a two versus one that’s got to be dealt with then you’ve got the chance to make a last-ditch tackle that they don’t make. Then the second goal is a poor clearance from the goalkeeper and there’s no reaction."

"If they want to progress in the FA Cup, they have to defend a lot better, they can’t just blame, ‘oh, we didn’t create enough in the final third’, you’ve got to stop conceding goals the other way. They’re much improved lately, they’ve missed a big opportunity tonight."

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