Sometimes, man can rage just a little too hard against the dying of the light. That was the pitiful reality of Steven Gerrard’s final match for Li,verpool against Manchester United.
***
Quick download our apps
***
He wanted it too much. The heroic last hurrah, the script from the heavens, the breathless drama, the epic final scene.
Gerrard’s codas are rarely short of spectacular. Last-minute goals, revivals, miracles even. This was a screen grab — blink and you’d miss it — a dismal little cameo that, knowing the man, will probably haunt him into his twilight years. And not just as a footballer either.
Gerrard hoped for so much from his final Anfield appearance against Manchester United. These are the games he knows he will miss and he wanted so badly to make it count. It was over before it had begun.
Thirty-eight seconds. That was Gerrard’s contribution to this game. Introduced at half-time by Brendan Rodgers, with Liverpool already trailing, Gerrard no doubt hoped to make a big impact on the 45 minutes. He failed even to make it to 45 seconds — seven short when a stamp on Ander Herrera ended his involvement.
It is possible to have sympathy for Gerrard’s misguided desire while also believing referee Martin Atkinson’s straight red card was entirely merited. Gerrard put one in on Juan Mata — very hard but fair — Herrera then gave him one back, and Gerrard stamped on him in fury as retaliation. Atkinson saw it and flashed a red card instantly.
Source : : iol.co.za
