KLOPP WINS THE BATTLE OF EMOTIONS
Gerrard back at Anfield as Villa boss but he falls just short when...
AS the teams walked out at Anfield, the Kop held up icons to the departed. There was a banner paying tribute to Ray Kennedy, the midfield great of the Seventies and early Eighties, who died last month. There was another that remembered Roger Hunt, the Liverpool and England hero, who died in the autumn. And another for Anne Williams, the campaigner and bereaved mother, whose fight for justice for those who died at Hillsborough moved so many.
Steven Gerrard stood in his technical area — the away team technical area — and looked around at all the history and the love. He listened as the fans belted out You’ll Never Walk Alone, the song that was once the soundtrack of his life, and gazed around at the stadium where he played out so many of his childhood dreams. He stood on the touchline as the supporters clapped a minute’s applause for Kennedy and applauded with them.
He was not here as one of them on this afternoon. For the first time in his life, he was here to try to beat them. He was here to try to get a result for Aston Villa, his new team, where he has made such a good start in the weeks he has been in charge. He had been at pains to stress that in the days leading up to the match. ‘If I’m on the bus heading back down the M6 towards Birmingham and I’m not the most popular at Anfield, so be it,’ he said.
The Liverpool fans had applauded him when he first emerged from the tunnel for the first time since he left in 2015. Then they had hastily broken into a chant of ‘Liverpool, Liverpool’.They had to remind themselves Gerrard was here as the manager of Villa and however much they may still revere him, he was also the enemy for the afternoon. Manchester City had already beaten Wolves and Liverpool could not afford to slip further behind their rivals.
It was an awkward dance. Gerrard, a hero here, the captain who had led them to the Champions League title in 2005, had taken care to acknowledge the cheers of the Villa fans first before the game. He reserved a shy wave for the Liverpool supporters. It was seven minutes in when the Kop started singing his song. ‘Steve Gerrard, Gerrard, he’ll pass the ball 40 yards, he’s big and he’s
**** ing hard, Steve Gerrard, Gerrard.’ The Villa fans sang it, too, before it faded away.
Gradually, the emotion of the return was overtaken by the rhythm of the match. This is a better Liverpool team than any of the ones Gerrard played for. He carried the club for many of his 504 league games here and even though he played with some fine footballers, he never had the supporting cast he would have had if he were playing for Jurgen Klopp now. Liverpool were not at their best against Villa but that does not mean they were not impressive. Andy Robertson was, as he often is, a force of nature down the Liverpool left, raiding forwards time after time, forcing a fine early save out of Emi Martinez when his header deflected off Matty Cash and the Villa keeper had to dive sharply to push it away.
Robertson provided the danger again when his cross from the left found Mo Salah in the middle. Salah dummied it so that it ran on to Trent Alexander-Arnold but the fullback’s shot was deflected over the bar. Robertson was everywhere. An exchange of passes with Jordan Henderson sent him flying into the box but he was denied by a last-ditch tackle.
Villa soaked up the pressure as best they could. ‘We knew we were going to have to suffer and it was going to be a containing job,’ Gerrard said later. Gerrard urged them on from the touchline, not moving from his technical area, hands thrust in his pockets. He has already started making tough decisions, leaving Emi Buendia out of the starting line-up here and even though Liverpool dominated possession, Villa played with an increased confidence that Gerrard’s arrival has brought.
There was the occasional alarm for the home team. Ashley Young, evergreen in the Villa attack, lifted the ball over Alisson as he came rushing out to meet him, but could not find a team-mate to steer the ball into the unguarded goal but Liverpool grew in assurance as the first half wore on.
Seven minutes after half-time, Liverpool thought they had scored when Van Dijk rose highest to meet an outswinging Robertson corner from the left. He connected with it beautifully and it was bound for the top corner until Martinez arched his back and pushed the ball acrobatically over the bar. Van Dijk turned away in frustration.
Liverpool stepped up the pressure and midway through the half, Villa finally cracked. Salah ran at Tyrone Mings in the Villa box and as the pair jostled for possession, their feet tangled and referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot. Salah rose from the turf and lashed the penalty low to the right of Martinez. The Villa keeper guessed the right way but could not stop it.
No one was thinking about Stevie G any more. He stood on the touchline, bowed his head and then stared over to where the Liverpool players were celebrating. There has been a new generation of heroes at Anfield for some time now and the Liverpool fans acclaimed their favourite. ‘Mo Salah, Mo Salah,’ they sang, ‘running down the wing.’
Gerrard almost spoiled their afternoon. Four minutes from time, Villa substitute Danny Ings chased a ball over the top and Alisson and Joel Matip got themselves in a dreadful mess. Alisson tried to hoof the ball clear but it cannoned off Matip and fell to Ings. Ings tried to take it round Alisson and as Alisson clawed at the ball, it seemed for a minute that he had taken Ings down but the referee waved play on. ‘Ultimately,’ Gerrard said, ‘the game’s been decided by a penalty. Liverpool got theirs, we didn’t get ours. It feels harsh.’
When the final whistle went to confirm the 1-0 victory, there was an outpouring of a relief and jubilation. ‘Sorry, Stevie,’ started trending on Twitter. And when Gerrard walked on to the pitch to shake hands with his players, all the reserve that had been there before the game disappeared.
‘Steve Gerrard, Gerrard,’ they sang again, this time as one. Maybe one day he will stand here in the home dug-out but as Liverpool forge on under Klopp, still just a solitary point behind City at the top, the only thing for sure is that whoever succeeds German will have a tough act to follow.