United’s victory over Liverpool at Anfield was made all the more sweeter for Reds around the world as Steven Gerrard saw Red less than a minute after replacing Adam Lallana at half time.
Gerrard’s sending off caused social media to go into meltdown as United fans rejoiced and Liverpool fans who either defended their skipper’s actions, criticised them or blamed a conspiracy between Ander Herrera and referee Martin Atkinson.
While we can all expect both sets of fans to engage in tribalism when it comes to such a polarising player as Gerrard, the press have by-and-large usually stood by the former England skipper.
It seems the Liverpool midfielder’s halo may be slipping somewhat as the back pagers were awash with headlines blaming the home side’s loss and their diminished chances of reaching the top four on Gerrard’s act of petulance.
The Guardian headline read: Gerrard sees red to gift United victory
The Mirror noted: Gerrard shame after 38 second red card puts United in pole position for Champions League place.
While nearly all the papers ran headlines regarding Gerrard’s apology it doesn’t seem to have masked the fact he cost his side any chance of getting back into the game and may well end up being the difference between making fourth spot and missing out.
Time will tell just how important the three points turn out to be for United but in many ways Gerrard’s red may have masked the fact that up until that point the visitors had all but dominated the game and may well have won anyway.
Be the first to comment