Steven Gerrard watched the Premier League title agonisingly slip away amid Liverpool's title collapse in the 2013-14 season.
"We don't let this slip" was the famous line Gerrard used to galvanise his teammates after a 3-2 win over title rivals Manchester City. That win was one of an eleven-match winning streak, which would come to a shocking end at Anfield on April 27, 2014.
'The slip'. Gerrard, of all players, had a momentary lapse in judgment, allowing the ball to trickle out of his possession and into the path of an oncoming Demba Ba.
What was meant to be the Reds' biggest win on the road to glory ended up being a disaster. The day the dream slipped, a 2-0 loss to Chelsea, was followed by a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace.
Gerrard wasn't the only player wearing a face of despair at the back end of a closely-fought title race. He was seen consoling Luis Suarez after the 'Miracle of Crystanbul', and while he calls his slip a "cruel low", he doesn't take all the blame for the Merseysiders' failed title hunt.
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Gerrard: Liverpool "Played Into Chelsea's Hands"
The Reds icon opened up on the defeat
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Liverpool were heavy favourites to beat Chelsea, amid their unbelievable winning run, which included wins over Manchester United (3-0), Arsenal (5-1), Tottenham Hotspur (4-0), and their City victory.
Gerrard was in scintillating form, and he finished that season with 13 goals and as many assists in 34 games. He was the leader of the group, having worn the captain's armband for many years, and he'd seen his team fall short in previous title races.
This experience was why the former 114-cap England skipper was wary of the confidence instilled in his teammates by manager Brendan Rodgers. He wrote in his 2015 autobiography, 'Steven Gerrard: My Story':
"I've never been able to say this in public before, but I was seriously concerned that we thought we could blow Chelsea away. I sensed an over-confidence in Brendan's team talks. We played into Chelsea's hands. I feared it then and I know it now."
Chelsea were still in the title race at the time, but a defeat for Jose Mourinho's men would end their title aspirations. Rodgers had suggested ahead of the game that the pressure was on the Blues and City because "when you spend that sort of money, you expect to win the league".
Rodgers' confidence seemed to concern Gerrard, but his former manager responded to those claims in May 2018, years after the failed title challenge:
"I don’t think I was more or less confident. We’d won 11 on the bounce. You want to go in with confidence."
The Northern Irish coach then gave his thoughts on the performance and the slip:
"The Chelsea game we played really well but it’s just unfortunate it [Gerrard's slip] happens right before half-time. We could have drawn but they score again at the death. It wasn’t pressure or anything like that. The last 14 games we won 12, drew one, lost one."
Liverpool finished second, two points behind City, and this came with consequences, especially after Suarez moved to Barcelona that summer.
Gerrard bid farewell to his boyhood club in the summer of 2015, joining LA Galaxy as a free agent. He was unable to help keep the Reds in the title picture or even in the top four, falling to a sixth-placed finish, and the pressure grew on Rodgers.
A difficult start to the 2015-16 season led to his sacking, and he was replaced by Jurgen Klopp, who delivered the title four years later. But Gerrard wasn't able to place a Premier League winners' medal in his trophy cabinet, which he undoubtedly deserved.
Suarez Told Rodgers Gerrard Was 'Irreplaceable'
The Uruguayan striker warned his former Liverpool manager
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Liverpool hesitatingly sold Suarez to Barca in the summer of 2014 for £64.98m and one of the finest partnerships in Premier League history was over. Gerrard had lost his right-hand man but Rodgers also lost his world-class centre-forward.
Gerrard too opted to leave in early 2015 while Rodgers was still in charge and his former teammate fired a warning of sorts regarding trying to replace him (via The Mirror):
"There are a small number of players in the world that are irreplaceable, and Steven is one of them. Not just irreplaceable as a player, but also as a captain, and what he represents for Liverpool."
Gerrard spent 17 seasons at Liverpool, becoming one of English football's all-time greats, captaining his hometown club to UEFA Champions League glory in 2005. He made a switch to the MLS side LA Galaxy, but Suarez did feel Rodgers possessed players who could fill the void:
"Liverpool are a great team though, big players will want to play for them. They have great midfield players already there who can make a step up - and I am sure the boss is already thinking about replacements."
Steven Gerrard Under Brendan Rodgers
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Jordan Henderson was four years into his Anfield spell when Gerrard departed, and he took the club captaincy under Klopp. While the former Sunderland man impressed with his hard work, he didn't have the all-around profile that his former teammate had provided.
Other midfielders came and went in the post-Gerrard era, and it's perhaps fair to say that it's only recently they've found a viable replacement. Alexis Mac Allister has been outstanding since arriving in 2023 and was a driving force behind Arne Slot's debut title-winning season.
All statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt - correct as of 16.06.2025
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