What on earth had gotten into Steven Gerrard on that March 22, 2015?
History will remember that Stevie G’s last match against Liverpool’s eternal rivals from Manchester ended with a red card just 38 seconds after coming on.
Brought on in the hope of galvanizing his team, trailing 1-0 at Anfield, Gerrard quickly started throwing his weight around in midfield before doing the unforgivable: in a moment of temper, he scraped his studs down Ander Herrera, who had done nothing to deserve it.
The referee’s punishment was harsh but logical: a straight red card. 38 seconds on the pitch, in and out in no time. Enjoy the early shower, legend!
Down to 10 men, Liverpool eventually lost 2-1 to Man United. After that meltdown, Gerrard apologized on Sky: "I have to accept it, the decision (by the referee) was right. I let down my teammates and the supporters. I take responsibility. I don’t know why I did it. It was probably just a reaction to the previous tackle. I shouldn’t say any more, I’ve just come to apologize to the dressing room and the supporters."
A nice mea culpa, but too late: his moment of madness was already set to dominate the British sports headlines. It only reinforced his image as a brave but hot-headed captain.
That was part of Steven Gerrard’s charm too: the grinta, sometimes in excess.
Kick-off for the Manchester United–Liverpool showdown this Sunday at 4:30pm (Matchday 35 of the Premier League).
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.
