An eternal Scouser, inspirational Liverpool captain, one of the greatest players to have graced Anfield – Steven Gerrard personifies Liverpool. He has been instrumental in many of Liverpool’s success and has been a real driving force for his team. He has remained one player who has bailed out his team from quite some tricky situations; the 2005 Champions League Final, the 2006 FA Cup final and countless derbies have Gerrard’s authority stamped all over it.However, for all his greatness in winning matches for Liverpool, Gerrard would be left ruing the gaffes that have occurred in his illustrious career. Most of these errors have caused mayhem and, in some cases, trophies for Liverpool. We look at his errors, including the famous slip, that would haunt the Liverpool captain for the rest of his life.
#6 The back pass against France in Euro 2004
For all of Gerrard’s uncanny knack of breaking up play and making the 30 or 40 yard pass across the field, his biggest susceptibility remains the back pass. Gerrard’s tryst with the back pass started way back in 2004 with France being the beneficiaries of it.
The ‘golden generation’ of English football were particularly unimpressive on the international stage with numerous instances where matches were thrown away. Gerrard was central to it in a thrilling group stage encounter against France. Despite a fatal miss from the penalty spot by David Beckham, Frank Lampard's header looked set to give England a hard-fought victory. However, fate and Gerrard intervened.
Zinedine Zidane netted a 90th-minute equalizer with a beautiful free kick, but it was late into injury time that the suicidal back pass happened. Gerrard, wanting to settle for a draw, decided to go back to his keeper David James instead of sending a long ball forward. Thierry Henry, always looking for an opportunity, intercepted the back pass. James charged out of his goal and clumsily tripped the Arsenal striker. Zidane stepped up and graciously converted the penalty to give France a late comeback win.
This would turn out to be the start of the crucial back passes that would haunt Gerrard for the rest of his career.
#5 Another back pass to Thierry Henry against Arsenal
Thierry Henry didn’t need any second invitation to score a goal while plying his trade for Arsenal. He had the knack of doing the outrageous and scoring some exquisite goals. Why would an opponent make things easier for him then? Gerrard did, for the second time, but this time it was in the Premier League against Arsenal.
As the title race was heating up, Liverpool needed a strong result against an in-form and formidable home side. Arsenal had started off strongly by seizing the initiative with a goal at Highbury from Henry. The Gunners used home advantage to trouble the Reds throughout. However, Garcia’s equalizer in the second half would mean that Liverpool had the opportunity to get a result.
But seconds after Xabi Alonso’s dismissal, Gerrard sent across a back pass to his keeper Jose Reina. As was the case in 2004, Henry intercepted the back pass and rounded Reina to score the winner that would dent Liverpool’s title ambitions.
A case of déjà vu for Gerrard, "It was like France," admitted the England midfielder. "I was trying to take up time, I did not see Henry. The last player you want the ball to go to is the best player on the planet. It was completely my fault and I hold up my hands," added Gerrard.
#4 The back pass against Chelsea
If you thought Henry might be the biggest beneficiary of Gerrard’s gifts, you are mistaken. Chelsea, yes the Blues (the club he almost joined in 2005), have benefitted the most from Gerrard’s blunders.
Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea needed a positive result at Anfield to pull away in an agonizingly close title race. After a rather slow and watchful start, the game exploded in the 33rd minute with a back pass from Gerrard. With the entire pitch at his mercy, he decided to poke a weak back pass to Pepe Reina.
Didier Drogba, alive to the opportunity, rounded the keeper and scored the opener that would stifle any resistance that Liverpool showed until that time. Frank Lampard would seal the game and the title in the second half with an exquisite finish.
The debate still reigns whether it was an accident or whether it was intended. Whether it was the strain of the build-up to the fixture or his desire to outdo Manchester United’s title ambitions, Gerrard did end up with another back pass blunder.
#3 Gerrard scores for Chelsea in the League Cup final
2005 was a year would remain a glittering year in the club’s history as Gerrard guided Liverpool to an unimaginable victory over AC Milan. However, a few months earlier, Liverpool and Gerrard had a chance of claiming their first major trophy when they reached the final of the League Cup. One of the biggest mistakes that Gerrard claimed haunted him for a long time remained the own goal against Chelsea in that final.
Having scored the fastest goal in a League Cup, John Arne Riise had volleyed Liverpool ahead with what looked like a certain winner. However, 11 minutes from time, Paolo Ferriera floated in a free kick into Liverpool’s penalty box. A harmless free kick turned out to be an equalizer as Gerrard inadvertently deflected the ball past his own keeper and in off the post.
The game went into extra time and Chelsea went on to win 3-2 after goals from Didier Drogba and the Mateja Kezman.
#2 Red Card in his last game against Manchester United
The Northwest derby between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the most watched games of the season. No doubt that such a rivalry brings the best out of both sets of players. It’s a rivalry that Gerrard revels in and it was no surprise that Gerrard was itching to take the pitch when United visited Anfield. Having announced his move to MLS at the end of the season, Gerrard wanted to affect one last derby before he jetted off to USA.
Trailing 0-1 at halftime, the Liverpool captain came on as a second-half substitute, seemingly to bail out his side against United one last time. Gerrard would, however, last only 38 seconds on the pitch. He began his bizarre cameo with a full-blooded challenge on Juan Mata, who had given Manchester United their first-half lead. United’s midfielder Ander Herrera went to win the ball with a challenge that then led to Gerrard stamping Herrera’s right leg which gave the referee no option but to send him off.
Gerrard’s dismissal ended any little chance that Liverpool had to win the match. Whether it effectively destroys Liverpool’s Champions League ambition remains to be seen, but Gerrard would rue it if Liverpool do end up finishing outside the Top 4.
#1 The slip that cost Liverpool an EPL title
Remember the highly entertaining 2013/14 season? The only thing anyone remembers is the biggest “slip up” the Premier League has ever seen.
The title run-in was one of the best seen in the EPL era, a chase which would be epitomized by Liverpool’s dream run. One of the most entertaining and enterprising teams of the season, the Reds had the title in the cusp of their hands before it slipped away.
Liverpool’s win over Manchester City in mid-April had given them the initiative to lay hands on the title that had eluded them for the past 24 years. His emotional rallying cry “We don’t let this slip, we go again!” at the end of that high voltage game was supposed to spur the team to greatness.
Hence, it was ironic that he of all the persons would be the one to make a mistake that saw the title snatched away from them. He lost his footing and that slip allowed Blues striker Demba Ba to open the scoring. Liverpool never recovered from that blow and they would go on to lose the title to the Citizens by two points.
For all the greatness that Stevie G has achieved with Liverpool, the slip will be the one that will haunt him to his entire life. With his departure at the end of the season, it might very well be the biggest “What if” moment for him.
