Steven Gerrard: My Liverpool Story (8 page)

Sweet Victory Over United

Winning at Old Trafford is always a cause for celebration and here I am with our goalkeeper, Sander Westerveld. Sander is one of the best goalkeepers I have seen with the ball at his feet. He was exceptional in that respect. But I felt he sometimes looked for an excuse if he ever made a mistake in a game. For me, it is better to say, ‘Sorry lads, that was down to me.’ He’d try to blame it on something else. When we lost at Middlesbrough once on a freezing day in December, he said there was ice on the ball and that had prevented him from gathering the ball properly. Despite that, he did well for us in the Treble season in 2000–01. He was a good keeper.

The Ignominy of an Early Bath

The walk of shame is a long one and every yard feels like a mile. I’ve done it quite a few times, too many to be honest. On this occasion, I was sent off against Leeds United at Anfield in April 2001. I was given my marching orders for two bookings, although I will always contend that I didn’t deserve either of them. David Batty, the former England midfielder, stitched me up, I felt. Liverpool versus Leeds was always a big match and the atmosphere was bouncing. In my view, Batty milked the contact from a challenge I made when there wasn’t too much there, and I paid the price. If it was a deliberate stitch-up, you can look at it two ways. Either he’s clever because he laid the bait and I fell for the trap he set, or you can say he was out of order. If I am injured I will stay down but, if he wasn’t hurt, I would never have done to him what I felt he did to me.

Premature End

My first final for Liverpool came against Birmingham City in the League Cup in February 2001, and it set the tone for so many of those that have followed. We made desperately hard work of getting over the line and lifting the trophy. Robbie Fowler gave us an early lead with an amazing volley, but we couldn’t shake Birmingham off and ended up needing penalties to prevail. I was on the bench by then, having been taken off after 78 minutes.

Unplayable Robbie

Robbie was captain that day and his volleyed goal from 30 yards was brilliant. He maybe wasn’t at his best when I played alongside him, but he was still very good. In training no one else could have duplicated some of the goals he scored because of the power he got into his shots with virtually no back-lift. His accuracy to hit the inside of the net from tight angles remains the best I have seen to this day. There were times when a game of 5-a-side would begin in training and after 10 seconds you’d be 2–0 down because Robbie had banged in two goals. Turn finish, turn finish. You’d be left thinking to yourself, ‘We might as well stop this now because he’s unplayable.’

Calming the Pre-match Nerves

It is important to learn from your mistakes and I’m glad to say there was no repeat of the infamous white FA Cup Final suits of 1996 when we played in the final in 2001. Everything was a lot more toned down. Stephen Wright (far right) came through the ranks with me and Robbie, and Jamie Redknapp helped to look after us both during the build-up.

In the days before a major final, you mentally prepare yourself for the game and the fact that we were playing Arsenal meant we knew we would have to be on our mettle. But before the game you can still be pretty calm and relaxed. It is only when you are in the dressing room that the butterflies and the nerves start and you realise exactly what is at stake.

Late and Lethal – Michael’s Day

The faces say it all. There is joy written across all of our features, but surprise as well at having turned round a game we were second best in. Arsenal had taken the lead through Freddie Ljungberg and with seven minutes left we were still trailing at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, having not done ourselves justice. But that was Michael Owen for you. He could come alive in an instant and bang, bang he turned the game on its head. We owed him an awful lot that day.

A Childhood Dream

As a kid I used to stay glued to the TV when it was FA Cup Final day. Afterwards, whoever had won, I would pretend to be one of their players in the street outside my house. It sounds a cliché but it was a dream of mine to win the FA Cup and, of course, you never think you are ever going to achieve it. It is an experience that’s difficult to describe properly, but it’s magical, that’s for sure. I have this picture in a room at my house together with Patrick Vieira’s shirt from the game. They’re in the same frame. A nice memento.

Early Recognition

I played 50 games and scored 10 goals in the 2000–01 season and things could hardly have gone better for me. As well as the Treble, I won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Team honours are always more important to me and I realised that without the support of my team-mates there was no way I would have been recognised. There are pitfalls to being lauded and showered with accolades, but I knew I had to stay on the straight and narrow and make the most of the talent I had. I wanted to win more trophies with Liverpool first and foremost, and if that led to individual honours, all well and good. Later on, in 2006, I won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and to receive both awards in your career is an achievement I am proud of. Not many players have done that.

Final Flourish

I am proud of my record of scoring in big matches. I’ve found the net in the League Cup Final, FA Cup Final and European Cup Final with Liverpool, and in the World Cup finals with England. The run started here in the UEFA Cup Final in Dortmund in 2001 when we beat Spanish side Alaves. My goal was something of a rarity because Michael played me in with a great ball. I have to say, it was about time he returned the favour! Over time my finishing has improved but when I got into positions such as this early in my career I just wanted to hit the ball as hard as I could. If a centre forward had had the same chance, maybe he would have placed it. But as a midfielder, who wasn’t used to having only the goalkeeper to beat, you tend to blast it – that is why I was so far off the floor. The game itself was another rollercoaster. We should have had it tied up in normal time, but let them back in and ended up winning 5–4 by virtue of a ‘golden goal’ in extra time. Winning all three cup competitions we entered that season often gets overlooked, but it was a fantastic achievement.