Long before he announced that he’ll be trading Merseyside for sunny California this summer, Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard bagged himself a stunning free-kick in the draw with crosstown rivals Everton earlier on in the season.
With his 33rd and final derby looming at the weekend, Reds legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes the Captain is going to want to bow out of one of the most fiercely contested derbies in the world on a high-note. “Stevie will want to go out with a bang. I was aware of my last derby, but we didn’t win it – it was 0-0 at Anfield” explained the former Liverpool defender in the buildup to Saturday’s match. “I remember Stevie’s first goal at Goodison – earlier in his career at the Gwladys Street End, when he had a bit of a set-to with the Everton fans while celebrating. He’d take that.”
Just what kind of the role the 34-year old will play is debatable though with Gerrard playing the whole 90-minutes of the 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup yesterday. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has been managing his skippers game time to keep him as fresh as possible, but he made no indication that he was going to leave the Captain on the sidelines for his last chance to stick it to the Blues — quite the opposite, actually.
“I’m sure the [Everton fans] will be glad to see the back of him,” said the Northern Irishman in his pre-match press conference. “He’s been an incredible player for this club and played in so many of the derby games and been outstanding. He’ll want to go into the game like he does every game. He wants to win for his club and it will be no different his weekend.”
