This weekend, Liverpool will host Aston Villa at Anfield in the Reds’ final home match of the season. Liverpool are still hoping to secure a Champions League spot for next season, despite having lost nine times in 36 matches this campaign. The two clubs have a rich history in this fixture, with Liverpool having won 32 games and drawn 10 since the Premier League began in 1992.
One man who doesn’t quite share the same fondness for this fixture as his Scouse counterparts is Steven Gerrard. Mentioning Gerrard and Aston Villa in the same breath will immediately bring to mind his recent stint as manager of the Midlands club. Despite a positive start which saw four wins in his first six games, form began to decline and he was dismissed at the end of last year.
However, Gerrard was most prolific against Villa during his playing days and regularly scored against them. He scored 13 goals in 27 matches against them, more than he scored against any other team. His first Premier League hat-trick came against Villa in March 2009 when Liverpool were challenging fierce rivals Manchester United for the domestic crown. Gerrard dispatched two penalties and a well-placed free-kick at the Kop end to secure his first match ball for his boyhood club.
Gerrard’s first goal against Villa was delivered on a plate by Danny Murphy in January 2001. He then scored his second against them eight months later, heading in Gary McAllister’s corner to cancel out Dion Dublin’s first-half opener. His third came 15 months later as Liverpool grabbed a 4-3 win on the road in the West Midlands, while an 84th-minute penalty another 15 months on saw Gerrard bag his fourth. His most memorable goal against Villa was a long-range effort in front of the Kop in 2006.
Gerrard’s next goal against Villa came on the opening day of the 2007/08 season, as he rifled an 87th-minute free-kick in front of the Doug Ellis Stand to secure a 2-1 win for his side. He then scored his three final goals against Villa: a late 3-1 defeat at Anfield under new manager Brendan Rodgers in December 2012; a 60th-minute penalty at Villa Park four months later; and a 53rd-minute penalty which saw Liverpool come back from 2-0 down at Anfield to earn a 2-2 home draw during Rodgers’ side’s 2013/14 title charge.
Gerrard’s last game against his future club came in April 2014, as Tim Sherwood’s Villa came from behind to defeat Liverpool 2-1 in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. After 17 successful years for his home club, Gerrard set sails for Los Angeles, making 34 appearances for LA Galaxy before announcing his retirement in November 2016.
This weekend, Liverpool will be hoping to close their final home match of the season on a high as they continue to hunt down Newcastle and Manchester United for a spot in the Champions League. The Reds will also bid farewell to two club legends in James Milner and, if fit, Roberto Firmino, who will make their final appearances at Anfield after eight illustrious years on Merseyside.