A legend can get his dream of revenge – VG

On Sunday afternoon, the Joker is in for another Premier League thriller – the giant duel between Manchester City and Liverpool. Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard (41) admitted that he was affected by the accident eight years ago:

– It still hurts, I marked it.

In his autobiography “My Story”, the football legend recalls how he sat alone in the car and cried after losing the decisive match against Chelsea in 2014. Tears streamed down the star player’s face:

“I was drugged, like I had lost a loved one.”

Gerrard is constantly reminded of the incident that led to Manchester City winning the league gold. Fatal error – watched by more than 44,000 people – remains an open wound for the man who spent his entire career at Liverpool.

His dream of winning the gold medal with the Childhood Club was shattered. But now Gerrard could be crucial once again in Liverpool’s rush for gold, when Aston Villa face Manchester City in the final round of the league.

The starting point is simple: If City lose or only draw in the home game against Villa – and Liverpool defeat Wolves in their home game at Anfield – it will be Liverpool that escapes with the league title.

In front of the nose of City manager Pep Guardiola.

Sunday 27 April 2014: In his 473rd game in the Premier League for Liverpool, Steven Gerrard will shine with a touch he has given thousands of times before. Just a quiet footnote followed by a minute pass. Turn the game over.

But on the rare occasion, the ball disappears under the feet of a technically talented midfielder. As the ball rolls, Gerrard sees Chelsea striker Demba Ba approaching, but the odds are still on the Liverpool player’s side. It is closest to the ball.

In desperation, he tries to right the wrong, but slips on well-watered grass. When Gerrard looked up, he saw Ba running away with the ball. One meter, two meters, three meters – alone and undisturbed on the way to the end.

Fear grips the Liverpool captain, who pushes hard for the Chelsea striker before Ba puts the ball into the goal.

But the error occurred and cannot be corrected. 1-0 to Chelsea led by Jose Mourinho.

Pictures of Gerrard digging in the grass became a symbol of Liverpool’s shattered title dream in the 2013/14 season. It was also the top scorer player’s chance to win the Premier League with the childhood club. Manchester City won their remaining matches and Liverpool fell to second place this season.

In the past, Gerrard was ridiculed and mocked by an entire world. An endless series of parodies that showed the Liverpool player who slipped on a banana peel and saw the trophy disappear – among other things in front of then-Chelsea player Mohamed Salah…

Sunday 22 May 2022: Now Gerrard is the man who can salvage Liverpool’s golden ambitions. He can make up for a fatal mistake eight years ago – as Aston Villa manager

Just like in 2014, Liverpool are vying with Manchester City for the title. The light blues came out victorious at the time, but Gerrard has the opportunity to stop Pep Guardiola’s men.

The city manager is in warrior mode and will defend the league leadership with all possible weapons.

– I can promise one thing: we will give our lives for it.

“It’s a great honor to be able to become champions in front of the home fans, and I’m looking forward to that,” the Spaniard says before he decides everything.

Gerrard doesn’t say it outright, but there’s no doubt he wants some form of revenge.

The 41-year-old played for Liverpool for 26 years and is considered one of the greatest players of his generation. Despite lucrative offers from Real Madrid and Chelsea, he remained at the parent club until 2015. One year after the painful moment at Anfield, he needed to walk away.

– It affected me mentally. I don’t know how long, whether it’s months or years, and I still don’t feel comfortable. He pushed me in the direction of the United States. “I think I had to break free from being at Liverpool,” says Gerrard.

He finished his career at LA Galaxy.

he won The Champions League and the FA Cup with Liverpool, the most prominent events in his career. Just two weeks before the famous fall, Liverpool had beaten City 3-2 and put the fate of the league gold in their own hands.

“This is not lost now”, Gerrard shouted to his teammates for opening mics, knowing that Liverpool had led the league several rounds before the end:

«This is not a damn slip now…!!!»

“Slips” It became the key word – and at the top of the table, Gerrard never finished with Liverpool.

I learned a lot from it, and I will always take responsibility for it happening. This is the moment when I look back: if I had just done it right, everything would have been so much better, he thinks out loud today.

Chelsea eventually won the match 2-0. Demba Ba, who took advantage of Gerrard’s mistakes, thinks it is unfortunate that a legend of his caliber had a scratch in the paint.

When someone makes a mistake, others benefit from it. Steven Gerrard has done a great job for the world of football. But this is life. Ba adds that not all adventures can have a happy ending the athlete.

– We didn’t enjoy that we killed their dream.

In the British media There is great focus on Gerrard and the opportunity he has to provide a service to the old club. At the same time, it is claimed that City have more to play for than Villa, and therefore more incentive, which Gerrard rejects.

– No, they don’t have, they don’t have it, resist the villa manager.

“It’s my responsibility to win both games,” he said before Thursday’s game against Burnley.

At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is frustrated that Villa had to play Thursday night’s game, just three days before the end of the season against City. The German is afraid that Gerrard and his colleagues. He comes exhausted until the end of the season, but he did not lose hope until another managerial confrontation with Pep Guardiola.

– Unlikely of course. But this is football. I remember when City became champions in 2019, only 11 millimeters were defined. We have to win our game, and Aston Villa must score against City, Klopp says about the possibility of Liverpool taking the gold.

– It’s possible. Unlikely, but possible. This holds me.

^{Sources: The Athletic, The Overlap, Sky Sports, “My Story” by Steven Gerrard}