Starting Eleven – Steven Gerrard’s most memorable moments
Widely recognised as one of the greatest players in his generation, lifelong Liverpool fan Steven Gerrard dreamed of playing in front of the Kop before finally making his wishes come true in 1997. Capped at International level over thirty times, possessor of a Champions League and FA Cup Winners medal as well as the club captaincy at his home-town club, Gerrard is in the frame to take the England captaincy and as one of the most influential players in any team he represents, more honours are set to be round the corner.
With years left on his career we take a look at some of the defining moments of Steven Gerrard...
‘Making Sheffield Suffer’
Living out every teenager’s dream Steven Gerrard made his way into the Liverpool ranks via the youth team. Training alongside the likes of Barnes, Redknapp and Fowler as a 17 year old, Gerrard, Owen and Murphy became the three young bucks of an aging Liverpool side. One misty night at Anfield a young Gerrard made his first mark at the club with an excellent solo goal against Sheffield Wednesday. Picking up the ball in midfield and driving at the defence in a fashion we now see on a weekly basis, Gerrard twisted past one and turned past another before lashing a left foot shot into the bottom corner to give his side a much needed 3-1 win.
‘There’s only one Steven Gerrard’
Having established himself in the team, Gerrard showed where his true colours lay in the ultimate way against Manchester United. With Liverpool languishing well behind their title chasing rival the club needed a big performance and got just that from a familiar source. Having gone 1-0 up through Michael Owen, Liverpool were pegged back almost immediately. With the game heading into the final ten minutes Gerrard picked up the ball thirty five yards, took a touch and hammered the ball past Barthez in the Manchester United goal.
‘Bad Tackles and Bad Tempers’
Whilst he was more often then not doing fantastic things for club and country, injuries robbed Gerrard of a place in the World Cup 1998 squad and kept him out for much of the following season. Showing his all action side and slightly over zealous nature, Gerrard found his frustrations boiling over against Everton in 2001. With Liverpool already down to 10 men, the midfielder lunged two-footed into a tackle with Gary Naismith and never looked like winning the ball. The England man was dismissed and condemned by many for his actions.
‘Making it 2-1 in Munich’
Gerrard’s international career had stammered up to the present date due to injuries and doubts about his fitness, he took part in Euro 2000 but missed many of the 2002 qualifiers through injury. With England languishing in the qualification for the World Cup in the Far East it was up to the Three Lions to go to Munich and come away with three valuable points. Although Carsten Janker gave Germany the lead, Gerrard’s club mate, Michael Owen equalised shortly after to give England a great chance of taking something from the game. Just before half time a corner cleared fell to Gerrard on the edge of the area, his first touch set up a perfect volley which he guided into the bottom corner of the German net, the rest as they say, is history.
‘One Man Team’
With Liverpool still well off the pace despite an array of talent at their finger tips, the newly named Liverpool captain decided it was time for him to drag the team along by the scruff of their necks. In danger of missing out on Champions League qualification, Gerrard ensured his side would be part of the following season’s European competition with a string of sensational performances. In one game against Birmingham, Gerrard single handily got Liverpool three points with over ten miles of pitch covered, an assist and two goals. Those who doubted Gerrard’s loyalty to the club soon kept their opinions to themselves.
‘Heading in the Wrong Direction’ (Literally)
As Liverpool’s form continued to stutter in the league and their performances in the cup suffering from severe rotation from their new manager Rafa Benitez there was talk of unrest in the Gerrard camp. With Chelsea having taken over as the number one force in English football and their manager being an open and keen admirer of the Liverpool midfielder, there was more than one rumour flying around that Gerrard was about to leave the club in his bones behind and join Chelsea in a bid for success. Although Liverpool spurned the blues approach for their captain, that did not stop the mega-rich London club retaining an interest in Gerrard. Talk of a move shook up the midfielder who was not as his best on the pitch while his future was so uncertain. His dip in form came at the wrong time as Liverpool went into a league cup final needing a morale boosting victory against the might of Chelsea. With the game locked at 1-1 in extra time a cross came into the box and in his desperation to clear the ball Gerrard mistimed his jump for a header, the ball skimmed off his head and went into the back of the net to set up a Chelsea victory.
‘You Beauty’
Having turned down the advances of Chelsea twice more, Gerrard put pen to paper on a new long term deal which ensured the skipper would be at the club through his peek footballing years. As a local lad, born and bred, Gerrard dreamt of big European nights in the colours of Liverpool and had his fair share in the 2004/05 season. Having lost their opening two Champions League games however, Liverpool had clawed their way back into a position of strength and needed a two goal victory at home to Olympiakos to ensure their passage to the knock out phases. 1-0 down to a goal from Rivaldo, Gerrard once more helped drag Liverpool out of the mire, but with a minute to go at 2-1 up the club were still heading into the UEFA CUP, cue Gerrard. A ball into the box from Carragher was headed to the edge of the area by Baros into the path of a bursting Gerrard, controlling his volley into the bottom corner the midfielder smashed the ball into the net and sent Liverpool through with seconds to go.
‘Inspiring in Istanbul’
After their dramatic ‘Gerrard inspired’ route through to the final, the midfielder continued to help his side progress in European competition. Brushing aside Juventus and then Chelsea, Liverpool arrived in Istanbul as heavy underdogs against Italian Champions AC Milan. The final in the Turkish hosting city started extremely badly for Liverpool as after three minutes they found themselves behind, worse followed then on loan striker Hernan Crespo stroked him a second and majestically finished a third before half time. It seemed there was no way back for the Anfield club, but with Gerrard in the team anything is possible. Allowed more freedom to go forward with Didi Hamman on the pitch, Gerrard headed Liverpool back into the game before setting up Vladimir Smicer for the second. By far the most influential player on the pitch, captain Gerrard went down in the area to win a penalty for Liverpool to take the game to a shoot out where he lashed home an all important kick before Jerzy Dudek saved a penalty from Shevchenko to hand Liverpool their fifth European Cup.
‘Doing it the Hard Way’
Despite winning the European Champions League, there was uncertainty about Liverpool’s position in the competition the following season. Their successes across Northern Europe had come at the cost of the club failing to make the top four in the Premiership and by rights they were not allowed to enter the completion. A protest to UEFA eventually allowed the club to be reinstated, but only at the first qualifying round, meaning Liverpool had to win three matches just to make the stage their city rivals Everton entered into the competition. Starting their campaign in mid August, Liverpool looked weary but seven goals, including one hat trick from Gerrard led Liverpool to the brink of qualification where only Benfica thwarted their chances of making a second successive final.
‘The Gerrard Final’
More cup success was thrust Liverpool was in 2006 as the club headed to their first FA Cup final since 2001. In their way was a plucky West Ham side who were looking to win the trophy for the first time in 25 years. The Hammers started the final with all guns blazing and took a 2-1 lead into half time. Just after the break Gerrard once again gave Liverpool a chance with a tremendously controlled half volley before a bout of cramp rendered him all but a passenger for the final twenty five minutes of the game. Having participated in nearly 80 games for club and country Gerrard’s dream of lifting the FA Cup appeared to be evaporating as West Ham took the in the first half of extra time. Doing his best to stay flexible Gerrard played from an extremely deep role but with energetic West Ham looking to kill of the game, it looked set not to be his day. However, as great players do, Gerrard had the last word on proceedings with the very last kick of extra time. A long ball from his found Djibril Cisse, the Frenchman’s cross into the box bounced off the head of a defender and fell to the captain thirty yards out. Somehow he found the strength in his legs to fire and absolutely perfect volley into the bottom corner of the net to take the game to a penalty shoot-out where Liverpool once again prevailed.
‘Making His Mark in Germany Once Again’
Having tasted success in the domestic game for Liverpool, Gerrard was keen to repeat his knockout competition victories in the colours of England. Struggling through the opening game, England battled hard against Trinidad and took the lead through Peter Crouch. To settle the game five minutes from the end, Gerrard marked his first full World Cup game with a tremendous left footed strike from twenty yards. Having been yellow carded and through fear of missing the second round match with the runners up in Group A, the Liverpool midfielder was rested but soon found himself needed when England were pegged back by a Sweden goal. Five minutes after coming on, Gerrard headed in a Joe Cole cross to give England the point they needed to make the next stage.
‘Making Sheffield Suffer’
Living out every teenager’s dream Steven Gerrard made his way into the Liverpool ranks via the youth team. Training alongside the likes of Barnes, Redknapp and Fowler as a 17 year old, Gerrard, Owen and Murphy became the three young bucks of an aging Liverpool side. One misty night at Anfield a young Gerrard made his first mark at the club with an excellent solo goal against Sheffield Wednesday. Picking up the ball in midfield and driving at the defence in a fashion we now see on a weekly basis, Gerrard twisted past one and turned past another before lashing a left foot shot into the bottom corner to give his side a much needed 3-1 win.
‘There’s only one Steven Gerrard’
Having established himself in the team, Gerrard showed where his true colours lay in the ultimate way against Manchester United. With Liverpool languishing well behind their title chasing rival the club needed a big performance and got just that from a familiar source. Having gone 1-0 up through Michael Owen, Liverpool were pegged back almost immediately. With the game heading into the final ten minutes Gerrard picked up the ball thirty five yards, took a touch and hammered the ball past Barthez in the Manchester United goal.
‘Bad Tackles and Bad Tempers’
Whilst he was more often then not doing fantastic things for club and country, injuries robbed Gerrard of a place in the World Cup 1998 squad and kept him out for much of the following season. Showing his all action side and slightly over zealous nature, Gerrard found his frustrations boiling over against Everton in 2001. With Liverpool already down to 10 men, the midfielder lunged two-footed into a tackle with Gary Naismith and never looked like winning the ball. The England man was dismissed and condemned by many for his actions.
‘Making it 2-1 in Munich’
Gerrard’s international career had stammered up to the present date due to injuries and doubts about his fitness, he took part in Euro 2000 but missed many of the 2002 qualifiers through injury. With England languishing in the qualification for the World Cup in the Far East it was up to the Three Lions to go to Munich and come away with three valuable points. Although Carsten Janker gave Germany the lead, Gerrard’s club mate, Michael Owen equalised shortly after to give England a great chance of taking something from the game. Just before half time a corner cleared fell to Gerrard on the edge of the area, his first touch set up a perfect volley which he guided into the bottom corner of the German net, the rest as they say, is history.
‘One Man Team’
With Liverpool still well off the pace despite an array of talent at their finger tips, the newly named Liverpool captain decided it was time for him to drag the team along by the scruff of their necks. In danger of missing out on Champions League qualification, Gerrard ensured his side would be part of the following season’s European competition with a string of sensational performances. In one game against Birmingham, Gerrard single handily got Liverpool three points with over ten miles of pitch covered, an assist and two goals. Those who doubted Gerrard’s loyalty to the club soon kept their opinions to themselves.
‘Heading in the Wrong Direction’ (Literally)
As Liverpool’s form continued to stutter in the league and their performances in the cup suffering from severe rotation from their new manager Rafa Benitez there was talk of unrest in the Gerrard camp. With Chelsea having taken over as the number one force in English football and their manager being an open and keen admirer of the Liverpool midfielder, there was more than one rumour flying around that Gerrard was about to leave the club in his bones behind and join Chelsea in a bid for success. Although Liverpool spurned the blues approach for their captain, that did not stop the mega-rich London club retaining an interest in Gerrard. Talk of a move shook up the midfielder who was not as his best on the pitch while his future was so uncertain. His dip in form came at the wrong time as Liverpool went into a league cup final needing a morale boosting victory against the might of Chelsea. With the game locked at 1-1 in extra time a cross came into the box and in his desperation to clear the ball Gerrard mistimed his jump for a header, the ball skimmed off his head and went into the back of the net to set up a Chelsea victory.
‘You Beauty’
Having turned down the advances of Chelsea twice more, Gerrard put pen to paper on a new long term deal which ensured the skipper would be at the club through his peek footballing years. As a local lad, born and bred, Gerrard dreamt of big European nights in the colours of Liverpool and had his fair share in the 2004/05 season. Having lost their opening two Champions League games however, Liverpool had clawed their way back into a position of strength and needed a two goal victory at home to Olympiakos to ensure their passage to the knock out phases. 1-0 down to a goal from Rivaldo, Gerrard once more helped drag Liverpool out of the mire, but with a minute to go at 2-1 up the club were still heading into the UEFA CUP, cue Gerrard. A ball into the box from Carragher was headed to the edge of the area by Baros into the path of a bursting Gerrard, controlling his volley into the bottom corner the midfielder smashed the ball into the net and sent Liverpool through with seconds to go.
‘Inspiring in Istanbul’
After their dramatic ‘Gerrard inspired’ route through to the final, the midfielder continued to help his side progress in European competition. Brushing aside Juventus and then Chelsea, Liverpool arrived in Istanbul as heavy underdogs against Italian Champions AC Milan. The final in the Turkish hosting city started extremely badly for Liverpool as after three minutes they found themselves behind, worse followed then on loan striker Hernan Crespo stroked him a second and majestically finished a third before half time. It seemed there was no way back for the Anfield club, but with Gerrard in the team anything is possible. Allowed more freedom to go forward with Didi Hamman on the pitch, Gerrard headed Liverpool back into the game before setting up Vladimir Smicer for the second. By far the most influential player on the pitch, captain Gerrard went down in the area to win a penalty for Liverpool to take the game to a shoot out where he lashed home an all important kick before Jerzy Dudek saved a penalty from Shevchenko to hand Liverpool their fifth European Cup.
‘Doing it the Hard Way’
Despite winning the European Champions League, there was uncertainty about Liverpool’s position in the competition the following season. Their successes across Northern Europe had come at the cost of the club failing to make the top four in the Premiership and by rights they were not allowed to enter the completion. A protest to UEFA eventually allowed the club to be reinstated, but only at the first qualifying round, meaning Liverpool had to win three matches just to make the stage their city rivals Everton entered into the competition. Starting their campaign in mid August, Liverpool looked weary but seven goals, including one hat trick from Gerrard led Liverpool to the brink of qualification where only Benfica thwarted their chances of making a second successive final.
‘The Gerrard Final’
More cup success was thrust Liverpool was in 2006 as the club headed to their first FA Cup final since 2001. In their way was a plucky West Ham side who were looking to win the trophy for the first time in 25 years. The Hammers started the final with all guns blazing and took a 2-1 lead into half time. Just after the break Gerrard once again gave Liverpool a chance with a tremendously controlled half volley before a bout of cramp rendered him all but a passenger for the final twenty five minutes of the game. Having participated in nearly 80 games for club and country Gerrard’s dream of lifting the FA Cup appeared to be evaporating as West Ham took the in the first half of extra time. Doing his best to stay flexible Gerrard played from an extremely deep role but with energetic West Ham looking to kill of the game, it looked set not to be his day. However, as great players do, Gerrard had the last word on proceedings with the very last kick of extra time. A long ball from his found Djibril Cisse, the Frenchman’s cross into the box bounced off the head of a defender and fell to the captain thirty yards out. Somehow he found the strength in his legs to fire and absolutely perfect volley into the bottom corner of the net to take the game to a penalty shoot-out where Liverpool once again prevailed.
‘Making His Mark in Germany Once Again’
Having tasted success in the domestic game for Liverpool, Gerrard was keen to repeat his knockout competition victories in the colours of England. Struggling through the opening game, England battled hard against Trinidad and took the lead through Peter Crouch. To settle the game five minutes from the end, Gerrard marked his first full World Cup game with a tremendous left footed strike from twenty yards. Having been yellow carded and through fear of missing the second round match with the runners up in Group A, the Liverpool midfielder was rested but soon found himself needed when England were pegged back by a Sweden goal. Five minutes after coming on, Gerrard headed in a Joe Cole cross to give England the point they needed to make the next stage.