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Dear reader, even if you are a Red Devil, or a Gooner at heart, or a life-long True Blue, or a staunch Evertonian, or a supporter of any other club, please do not deny the fact that you do not respect, admire, idolize him, or just love it when you see Gerrard’s name in the first-team. Please do not deny that you are incapable of criticizing him. Every person who has been following EPL regularly will attest to this fact that Stevie G is one of THE greatest players ever to have graced a football pitch.
The Messi’s and Ronaldo’s have been scooping up the Best Player of the Year trophies with alarming regularity. If you see, the list of the top three players has been virtually unchanged over the past few years. But why do people often forget about the true greats of the game, who single-handedly change a club’s fortunes on their own, without any assistance or any world-class players to back them up?
Steven Gerrard has been doing this, and more, over the 14 years he has been at Liverpool. He has played like a man possessed, playing in all sorts of positions. He has been a box-to-box midfielder, a holding midfielder, at times a defender, or in case of injuries, a unorthodox striker. And what’s particularly awesome about this is that he has performed well in each and every position. Truly magnifique.
Here is a compilation of five matches in which he has took it on himself to churn out results from nowhere.
1. LIVERPOOL 3-3 AC MILAN ( LIVERPOOL WIN 3-2 IN PENALTIES)
SCENE: ISTANBUL, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 2005
One of the greatest comebacks by any team in the history of the Champions League. Simply epic.
A powerful header from Maldini and a lovely brace from Hernan Crespo had put AC Milan 3-0 up at half-time. Benitez’s decision to drop Dietmar Hamann had proved to be a costly error, as Milan’s midfield trio of Seedorf, Kaka and Pirlo cut open Liverpool’s defence with defence-splitting and neat passing triangles. The next 45 minutes seemed bleak. Benitez brought on Hamann to stop Milan’ attacks and maintain the scoreline to a respectable level. But ah! What a masterstroke!
Hamann’s introduction allowed Gerrard to play a more attacking role, which saw him play a role in all three Liverpool goals later. He headed a cross into the goal to make it 3-1, he slipped the ball to Smicer to smash home for cutting Milan’s lead to just one, and he was brought down in the penalty box, the resulting penalty from Xabi Alonso which made it 3-3. But the fairy tale did not end there. In a dramatic penalty shoot-out, Hamann and Cisse scored, while Pirlo and Sergio missed. But bizarrely, Liverpool fluffed their next two, enabling Milan to make it 2-2 through Tomasson and Kaka. But goalscorer Smicer was again on target, and Dudek capped off a extraordinary evening by saving Shevchenko’s penalty, which made it 3-2 to the Reds. This ranks as one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time.
2. LIVERPOOL 3-3 WEST HAM (LIVERPOOL WIN 3-1 ON PENALTIES)
SCENE: WEMBLEY, FA CUP FINAL 2006
Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool captain, lifts the trophy after the FA Cup Final match between Liverpool and West Ham United at the Millennium Stadium on May 13, 2006 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images)
In a eerie resemblance to the legendary UCL finals, Liverpool pulled off yet another stunning comeback to draw 3-3 with West Ham in normal time before eventually prevailing in the penalty shoot-out. And all because of Liverpool’s Captain Fantastic.
West Ham started the game brightly, taking a 2-0 lead within 28 minutes, an own-goal from Jamie Carragher and a tap-in from Dean Ashton put the Londoners in the driving seat. Cisse pulled one back, before Gerrard made it 2-2 with a fierce shot from Cisse’s lay-off. But West Ham regained the lead through a freakish cross from Paul Konchesky, whose intended cross to the far post managed to evade Reina and find the goal. But Gerrard did not admit defeat so easily and unleashed a 35-yard screamer in the dying moments of the match which ranks as the mother of all Cup final goals.
Understandably motivated by the stunner, Liverpool then dominated the extra 30 minutes before defeating the Hammers 3-1 in penalties, where Gerrard converted his penalty.
3. LIVERPOOL 3-1 NAPOLI
SCENE: EUROPA LEAGUE 2010 GROUP STAGE
Steven Gerrard of Liverpool celebrates scoring an equalising goal during the UEFA Europa League Group K match beteween Liverpool and SSC Napoli at Anfield on November 4, 2010 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Often this match is fondly called by the Liverpool fans as the ‘Gerrard 3-1 Napoli’ match.
Christian Poulsen (the worst Liverpool player by a mile) directed his header towards Edison Cavani, who laid it on for Lavezzi to score, giving Napoli the lead. Then followed a flurry of Napoli attacks, as Liverpool struggled to find any tempo. In desperation, Roy Hodgson brought on Gerrard at half-time. The next 45 minutes belonged solely to Gerrard, as he engineered a remarkable comeback, scoring a hat-trick and propelling his team to the top of the table. This wonderful display, only served to enhance his reputation as one of the most influential players in modern footballing history.
4. LIVERPOOL 3-0 EVERTON
SCENE: MATCHDAY 28, BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE 2011-12 season
For any player who has the privilege of being either a Liverpool or a Everton player, he knows that the Merseyside derby is one of the the most hotly-contested derbies in football. The passion, the expectations, the boisterous fans all create an unique atmosphere, which makes it imperative that nothing but a win will do for either of the feuding rivals. So Gerrard, on a bright sunny afternoon, etched his name into Liverpool folklore by scoring a stunning hat-trick, condemning Everton to a 3-0 defeat. He is the only player after Ian Rush and Fred Howe to achieve that legendary feat.
As commentator Pat Nevin eloquently summarises:
“I think the best defender on the pitch today was Steven Gerrard, the best midfielder was Steven Gerrard, the best attacker was Steven Gerrard, the player with most vision on the ball was Steven Gerrard and the player with the best attitude was Steven Gerrard. Honestly, you really can’t beat that. I don’t know what you can do in a game of football better than that.”
5. LIVERPOOL 4-0 REAL MADRID
SCENE:ROUND OF 16, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008-09
Steven Gerrard of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of Sixteen, Second Leg match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield on March 10, 2009 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
This was another legendary match in Liverpool’s history, where they condemned the most successful club in European history to a soul-crushing defeat. Although Fernando Torres delivered an absolutely scintillating performance, running the Real defence ragged, it was Gerrard who scored two well-taken goals, and was the main architect behind Liverpool’s frequent forays into the other half. He held his own against the much-vaunted trio of Diarra, Guti and Sneijder, and constantly pressurised them in giving the ball away. This was one of his finest performances till date, one which underlined his status as one of Liverpool’s greatest players.
