Just 38 seconds after coming on as a half-time substitute against Manchester United, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard was sent-off for clamping his foot down on Ander Herrera’s shin.
The popular opinion at half-time had been that the Reds needed the 34-year-old’s experience to win back control of a midfield being dominated by United; but by the end of his brief cameo he had done exactly the opposite.
There was plenty of schadenfreude from opposition fans after his untimely slip against Chelsea last season but there was also a begrudging respect for him and what Liverpool had achieved.
This time, after a year of his influence waning, his actions were just really disappointing. Managers and commentators preach about the benefits of experience but what Gerrard did was as naïve as it was selfish. His manager wanted him to show his young teammates guidance, in one of the defining moments of their season, and he let them down when it mattered most.
Brendan Rodgers was quick to condemn Diego Costa for his stamp on Emre Can in the Capital One Cup semi-final and he should have done the same with his captain here. By refusing to do so, Rodgers perpetuated the sense that certain players can earn a status beyond repute. Gerrard is worthy of respect for everything he has achieved but allowing anyone to be above criticism is a very unhealthy situation.
Jamie Carragher suggested after the match that Gerrard came on a frustrated man; frustrated about his lack of playing time, frustrated about the way his Liverpool career is ending and frustrated that his side were losing. If that is true - and Carragher, you'd think, would be in a position to know - then his actions reek of an over-inflated ego, a sense that he was destined to make the difference and was entitled to do whatever it took.
That mentality came at a huge cost to his team.
If you’re being brutal about it you can argue that Gerrard’s slip last season cost Liverpool the title and his stamp this time marks the end of their top-four chances. Liverpool’s resurgence in 2015 had been hard-earned by a team built for the future, a team without Gerrard. It took the veteran just 43 seconds to undo so much of their good work.
Liverpool’s outstanding form in the last three months has shown that the collective can be far greater than the sum of its parts and, no matter how decorated the individual is, a group mentality is required. Surely if Gerrard loves Liverpool as much as the club love him, he should be delighted by their resurgence and realise his time has come to a natural end? It won’t affect him when he’s playing Major League Soccer next season but a major part of his legacy will now be to leave behind a Liverpool side playing in the Europa League instead of Europe’s premier competition.
In the immediate future, Gerrard will be suspended for key games away to Arsenal in the Premier League and Blackburn in the FA Cup - but you wouldn’t blame his teammates for feeling like he won’t be missed. Should they get to the FA Cup final, to be played on Gerrard’s 35th birthday, Liverpool would do well not to buy into the myth of the individual and put themselves first.
It’s easy to understand why fans love the idea of Gerrard lifting the trophy in his final act at the club but Liverpool do not owe him that moment.
Steven Gerrard has become a figure at odds with the new Liverpool and, while he may not like it, the day he leaves now cannot come soon enough.
By: Max Ward @Eurosport
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