Steven Gerrard has paid tribute to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, but refused to praise Blues fans for giving him a standing ovation at Stamford Bridge.
The former England captain scored as Liverpool secured a 1-1 draw on Sunday, a result that effectively ended their hopes of securing Champions League football next season.
Gerrard was withdrawn on 79 minutes, with a smattering of boos turning to applause as he made his way off the pitch.
But, moments later, the infamous slip song – poking fun at his untimely fall at Anfield last year, which allowed Demba Ba to race through and score – was echoing around the stadium again.
Mourinho has now claimed the chant is a compliment for an “old, dear enemy”, but judging from Gerrard’s dismissive post-match remarks it is not a mutually-held opinion.
Gerrard’s final match at Anfield is on Saturday against Crystal Palace before his switch to MLS side LA Galaxy in the summer.
WHAT GERRARD SAID ABOUT THE OVATION
“I was more happy with the ovation from the Liverpool fans.
“Chelsea fans have had respect for a couple of seconds today but have slaughtered me all game.
“I'm not going to get drawn into wishing Chelsea fans well. It was nice of them to turn up for once today.”
WHAT GERRARD SAID ABOUT MOURINHO
“I have huge respect for him. He's the best manager in the world for me and I'd have signed for him a couple of times if I wasn't a Liverpool fan.
“He's the reason why my head was turned on a couple of occasions but he understood why I couldn't do it.”
WHAT MOURINHO SAID ABOUT THE SLIP SONG
“The negative song Chelsea fans sing for him is respect for an old, dear enemy that fought so much against us in every competition.
“After that, the standing applause is amazing. To get it at Anfield he gets it week in week out, year after year but away from home it shows a lot.”
OUR VIEW
Stamford Bridge was awash with yellow caution slip signs. Barely a minute had passed before the first unsavoury chant was bouncing around the stadium. Boos were clearly audible before a belated ovation ensued.
So yes, Gerrard has every right to be annoyed. It was a near-constant barrage from strangers, ones who seem to have forgotten that a slip from John Terry cost them the 2008 Champions League.
But why vent it in a post-match interview? Here was the opportunity to show the stick hadn’t fazed him, to show he wasn’t interested in sinking to his critics’ levels.
Was it bitterness? After all, he could have joined the first Mourinho revolution and clinched that elusive Premier League title long ago. Did he have to justify his reason to stick at Liverpool – by slamming the Chelsea fans for turning up for once?
Even prior to his slip at Anfield, Chelsea fans have reserved special distaste for Gerrard. He was rival to Frank Lampard in central midfield, the alternative to Terry as England skipper, part of the side that knocked the Blues out of the Champions League with the infamous ‘ghost goal’ in 2005.
Which makes his outburst all the more strange – what else could he really expect on his final meeting with his great adversaries.
Sadly, Gerrard’s final season in the Premier League has been disastrous. His role at Liverpool has waned, each set of opposition fans have taken a pop at him, while his foolish stamp on Ander Herrera derailed his side’s Champions League ambitions.
He has every right to feel aggrieved with his treatment. After all, his slip was a complete accident. But his tetchy comments will only help stick that incident to him, when we should instead remember Istanbul in 2005 or the FA Cup final a year later.
WHAT THE MEDIA SAID
Henry Winter, Telegraph: "This was Gerrard unplugged, unconsidered, undignified. His barb resembled the verbal equivalent of his battering challenge on Manchester United's Ander Herrera at Anfield on March 22. Take that. The twilight of his career almost carries echoes of his early days, the reckless challenges and heated moments."
- Source: Eurosport
- Source: Eurosport
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