As Liverpool host Aston Villa on this season’s Anfield farewell, Brad Walker displays on a novel shared reference to Steven Gerrard.
Liverpool look to shut their closing residence match of the season on a excessive this weekend as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa head to Anfield.
The Reds harbour feint hopes of securing a Champions League spot for subsequent season, regardless of an odd marketing campaign which has seen them lose 9 instances in 36 matches.
Each golf equipment are backed by a wealth of historical past on this fixture, with the Reds successful 32 video games in comparison with Villa’s 13 within the Premier League period.
Ten extra matches have been drawn between the pair because the new league format was launched in 1992.
Although it’s a fixture most related to Liverpool replicate fondly on, one man doesn’t fairly share the rose-tinted glasses loved by his Scouse counterparts.
Mentioning Steven Gerrard in the identical breath as Villa will, significantly to followers of a youthful age, instantly conjure reminiscences of his latest stint as supervisor for the Midlands’ most profitable membership.
Understandably so: Gerrard was on the Villa helm for below 13 months earlier than he was dismissed on the finish of final yr.
Regardless of a optimistic begin which noticed 4 wins in his first six video games, kind started to curtail along with his facet solely successful two of their opening 12 Premier League matches in the beginning of this season.
Gerrard was unable to copy the success he loved at Rangers, the place he delivered the membership their fifty fifth league title in 2020/21, and was proven the exit door in October.
The sky wasn’t at all times so gloomy when Villa and Gerrard have been involved, nevertheless – he was most prolific towards the Villans throughout his enjoying days and recurrently sank a dagger into claret-and-blue hearts.
A complete of 13 targets in 27 matches was greater than Gerrard managed towards every other facet, and he even registered his first Premier League hat-trick towards the Midlanders throughout a 5-0 romp in March 2009.
Again then, the Reds have been difficult fierce rivals Man United for the home crown and despatched a robust message to their north-west counterparts as they dispatched Villa in entrance of a sell-out Anfield crowd.
Villa have been chasing a spot among the many Champions League locations however have been no match for Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool, who headed into the match on the again of an announcement 4-1 away victory at Outdated Trafford the earlier week.
Gerrard dispatched two penalties in addition to a well-placed, pushed free-kick on the Kop finish to safe his first match ball for his boyhood membership.
Though the sport stands out as Gerrard’s most pleasant towards the workforce he would go on to handle 12 years later, his exploits towards Villa started a lot earlier.
His first aim was delivered on a plate by Danny Murphy in January 2001, as Gerrard slid to make sure he met the left-footed cross along with his personal proper boot.
Liverpool emerged 3-0 winners at Villa Park that day, and it wouldn’t be lengthy till Gerrard bagged his second towards Villa.
Solely eight months, in truth, because the buzzcut-sporting Scouser bagged his first residence targets towards Villa, heading in Gary McAllister’s nook to cancel out Dion Dublin’s first-half opener.
The aim wasn’t sufficient to forestall the away facet from banking all three factors because of additional targets by Lee Hendrie and Darius Vassell, however was an indication of issues to return as Gerrard continued to mature into one of many league’s greatest-ever midfielders.
His third got here 15 months later as Liverpool grabbed a 4-3 win on the highway within the West Midlands, whereas an 84th-minute penalty one other 15 months on noticed Gerrard bag his fourth.
Whereas his hat-trick in 2009 springs to thoughts as his most profitable recreation towards Villa, his long-range aim in entrance of the Kop in 2006 stands out as his most memorable.
Having already bagged his first of the sport to place Liverpool 2-1 up from a Xabi Alonso nook, the ball fell to the No. 8 as the sport approached the 66th-minute mark.
Taking one contact to regular himself, Gerrard briefly famous the situation of the aim earlier than rocketing the ball into the highest left-hand nook from 30 yards.
Famend for his long-range scoring efforts for membership and nation, the aim stays excessive amongst his biggest ever in a pink shirt.
His subsequent got here on the opening day of the 2007/08 season, as Gerrard rifled an 87th-minute free-kick in entrance of the Doug Ellis Stand to safe a 2-1 win for his facet.
The hat-trick in 2009 adopted earlier than Gerrard slotted his three closing targets towards Villa.
The primary got here late in a 3-1 Anfield defeat below new supervisor Brendan Rodgers in December 2012, whereas a Sixtieth-minute penalty at Villa Park secured one other 2-1 Liverpool win 4 months later.
Gerrard obtained his title on the scoresheet for a closing time towards the Midlanders when his 53rd-minute penalty noticed the Reds come again from 2-0 down at Anfield to earn a 2-2 residence draw throughout Rodgers’ facet’s 2013/14 title cost.
Although he appeared thrice towards Villa in his closing season for the Reds in 2014/15, Gerrard couldn’t handle a aim, as his facet initially suffered a 1-0 defeat at Anfield earlier than Fabio Borini and Ricky Lambert targets earned Liverpool a 2-0 away win in January.
His final recreation towards his future membership got here in April that season, as Tim Sherwood’s Villa got here from behind to defeat Liverpool 2-1 in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
After 17 profitable years for his residence membership, Gerrard set sails for Los Angeles, making 34 appearances for LA Galaxy earlier than saying his retirement in November 2016.
Regardless of his 13-month tenure at Villa Park, the 42-year-old will little doubt be backing his boyhood membership to defeat Emery’s Villa this weekend as they proceed to seek out Newcastle and Man United for a spot within the Champions League.
The Reds can even bid farewell to 2 membership legends in James Milner and, if match, Roberto Firmino, who will make their closing appearances at Anfield after eight illustrious years on Merseyside.
* It is a visitor article for This Is Anfield by Brad Walker. Observe Brad on Twitter, @brad_TWalker.
