Gerrard got flashbacks of his costly slip during Villa’s defeat to Wolves
Steven Gerrard joked about getting flashbacks to his slip which all but cost Liverpool the Premier League title in 2014 after Aston Villa’s defeat to Wolves.
Gerrard’s side were beaten 2-1 by their West Midlands rivals after defender Jonny and Ashley Young’s own goal gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Ollie Watkins’ late penalty was nothing more than a consolation.
The Villa boss drew comparisons to his famous slip in 2014
At the end of the game, the former Rangers boss admitted a poor first half cost the Villains, with Ezri Konsa and Jon McGinn both slipping in the build-up to Wolves’ first goal.
When asked about the slip, Gerrard drew comparisons to his own mistake which allowed Demba Ba to go through and score as Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield to put a huge dent in their title hopes eight years ago.
“Well any complaints or finger-pointing from me would be cheap,” the former Reds captain joked.
“It might have been down to the pitch, it could’ve been down to studs but the reality is we gifted a team a goal on the back of it. It had a big impact on us.”
Seven years today, Steven Gerrard let it slip 😬 pic.twitter.com/RTNITvGtZZ
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) April 27, 2021
Gerrard recognises the gulf in class
The defeat at Molineux means that Villa have now lost three games on the bounce and Gerrard admitted that the gulf in class between teams in the Premier League is bigger than ever and plenty of work is required if they are to compete for a place in Europe.
“The League doesn’t lie,” Gerrard added.
“At the moment there’s a gap to the teams above us and that showed in the first half. My staff all know where we are strong and where we need support, whether that be an individual area or a certain unit in the team.
“What the owners have done for this club has been phenomenal in terms of the support, the backing. I don’t think they’ll change because the dealings I’ve had and the communication I’ve had, they’re very ambitious and they want to win football matches, like myself.
“The players in the building have got to help me fix it right now and if not, we’ll get players to help me fix it. We can’t keep giving sloppy goals away and gifts because since I’ve been in the building I can’t remember a gift we’ve been given.”
Related links:
- Pep Guardiola jokes he ‘overthinks’ tactics in European games
- Manchester United dressing room ‘split’ over potential appointment of Erik ten Hag
- Ralf Rangnick says lack of physicality is biggest issue with Man United squad
