London: Steven Gerrard has fired a parting shot at the Chelsea supporters who gave him a Stamford Bridge standing ovation after taunting him for the rest of the match.
Having scored Liverpool’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw against the Premier League champions on Sunday, Gerrard was withdrawn by Brendan Rodgers with 11 minutes remaining, the Liverpool manager admitting that his captain was taken off to give the fans a chance to show their appreciation.
The Chelsea supporters, who derided Gerrard for the entire game, responded by giving the midfielder a standing ovation on what was his final appearance at Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea’s manager, joined in the applause and he gave the home followers a thumbs-up, but Gerrard said: “I was more happy with the ovation from the Liverpool fans.
“The Chelsea fans showed respect for a couple of seconds for me, but slaughtered me all game so I’m not going to get drawn into wishing the Chelsea fans well. It’s nice of them to turn up for once today. The standing ovation from a stadium is always nice, but what’s important to me is the Liverpool fans and they have been there since day one.”
Mourinho was delighted with the show of appreciation for Gerrard and said: “I was very happy. The negative song only shows respect. Nothing other than respect. It’s like a negative song to a dear animal.
“The applause was special. Stamford Bridge was special. Steve gets that for almost two decades, every week when he plays at Anfield. To get that in an away stadium is a fantastic way for him to feel. Probably every club, every stadium respects him a lot.”
Rodgers revealed the exact thinking behind the substitution. “Steven has worked brilliantly and it [the substitution] was more just to give him the acclaim on what will probably be the last time he played at Stamford Bridge,” the Liverpool manager said.
“I think he’s been a thorn in the side of Chelsea supporters because they know he’s got star quality, but I think they recognised today the end of an era, of a special player.”
Mourinho had revealed ahead of the game that he had failed with three bids to sign Gerrard, for Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Having cancelled out John Terry’s opening goal, Gerrard said: “I have got huge respect for him [Mourinho]. He is the best manager in the world, for me. I’d have signed for him three times if I wasn’t a Liverpool fan.
“He is the reason why my head was turned on a couple of occasions, but he understood why I couldn’t do it and it’s because I love Liverpool Football Club.”
Despite winning the Champions League with Liverpool, Gerrard will leave without lifting the Premier League trophy and asked whether he ever wondered what might have been with Mourinho, he said: “I did at the time, but I always said to myself, when I sat down with my dad and my brother, that if I win a couple of trophies at Liverpool, it will mean an awful lot more to me than if I won 10 at Chelsea or Inter Milan or Real Madrid. It always means more when you win for your people.”
Gerrard and his teammates gave Chelsea a guard of honour before kick-off and the former England captain said: “It is not nice when you are doing it for other people, but this football club has always shown respect and the guard of honour comes with tradition.”
Cesc Fabregas got away with a late challenge on Raheem Sterling within the first minute that Rodgers insisted should have earned the Spaniard a red card. “I thought Raheem recovered exceptionally well,” the manager said. “Fabregas should have been sent off — out of control, diving, stretching. A poor challenge. He’s done well to stay on the field and to play ever so well in the second half. He was a real threat. That shows his strength of character.”
The draw means Liverpool cannot qualify for the Champions League next season. Rodgers said: “It would have been a challenging summer whether we were in it or not. We know we need to strengthen the squad and, hopefully, we can do that. The players we have had have given everything but we are fifth and that’s probably where we are at the moment.”
Gerrard agreed: “Now this team needs to build for the future. We didn’t win the game but I think with a few additions and improvements it shows we can compete. I think it is important that the lads get some rest after the last couple of games and that the owners dig deep and make some additions.”
— The Daily Telegraph
