There was to be no fairytale ending to Steven Gerrard’s Livepool career after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa last weekend.
Despite taking the lead in Sunday’s semi-final, the Reds were pegged bag by Villa who ran out deserved winners and booked their place in May’s Wembley showpiece thanks to a 2-1 victory.
With the final on his birthday, Gerrard was at the centre of attention throughout their cup run with the script suggesting he would lead the team out for his last game as Liverpool captain on 30th May before his move to LA Galaxy in the summer.
But typical of his last couple of seasons at Anfield, it all ended in disappointment and there will be no happy ending for the club legend.
Gerrard has been a fantastic servant to Liverpool, and has delivered some memorable moments that mean he will be remembered as on of the Premier League’s greatest players.
But despite his success, there will also be some not so happy moments that will live long in the memory for football fans.
Here are five defining moments in the career of Steven Gerrard…
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December 2004: Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos
Perhaps Gerrard’s most famous Liverpool moment came on a famous Champions League night at Anfield as he scored a dramatic goal to seal qualification from the group stages.
Having fallen behind to a Rivaldo free-kick, the Reds were left needing three goals to avoid an early exit. Sinama Pongolle got the ball rolling just after half-time and once Neil Mellor scored with just 10 minutes remaining, the stage was set for Gerrard.
With 86 minutes on the clock, Mellor’s knock down fell to the midfielder who from 25 yards out hit a stunning half volley that flew into the net and sent the players and fans into pandemonium.
Little did they know there was plenty more drama to come later that season.
May 2005: Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan
If Liverpool fans had thought there victory over Olympiakos was dramatic enough, it was nothing compared to final against Italian giants AC Milan.
The Serie A side had seemingly put the tie to bed before half-time having raced into a three-nil lead at the break.
There looked to be little hope for Rafa Benitez’s side but what happened next will live long in the memory of football fans everywhere.
A captain’s performance from Gerrard saw him galvanize Liverpool to produce a stunning comeback, and he got the scoring underway in the second half with a great header to kick start seven minutes of madness.
His goal gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope before Vladimir Smicer fired in a second to spark panic within the Milan ranks.
And the turnaround was complete just moments later when a driving run for Gerrard saw him brought down in the box, giving Xabi Alonso the chance to equalise from the spot.
Dida saved the resulting spot kick, but the Spaniard was on hand to tuck away the rebound, and thanks to some further heroics from Jerzey Dudek; Liverpool were left celebrating after a penalty shootout as Gerrard lifted the club’s fifth European cup.
May 2006: Liverpool 3-3 West Ham
Liverpool were rescued yet again by their captain in what was one of the most thrilling FA Cup finals to date.
Having fallen two-down early on, the Hammers were well on their way to a famous victory in Cardiff, only for the England star to come up trumps once again.
His terrific pass set up Djibril Cisse to volley home and reduce the deficit before the skipper fired home an equaliser after the break.
The Londoners took the lead once more and were just moments away from lifting the trophy before Gerrard struck a stunning last-minute equaliser from long range to level the scores once more.
Liverpool went on to win the match in a penalty shootout and Gerrard was once again celebrating as he held the trophy aloft.
April 2014: Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea
There was real sense of excitement at Anfield as Liverpool were set to move within touching distance of their first Premier League title if they could avoid defeat to an under-strength Chelsea side.
But in a cruel twist, Jose Mourinho masterminded a famous victory for the Blues that not only ended the home side’s 11-match unbeaten run, but also dashed their hopes of being crowned champions.
With the match edging towards a goalless first-half, Demba Ba capitalised on a costly slip from Gerrard which presented him with the chance to race through on uncontested and slide the ball into the net.
It was a blow the Reds failed to recover from and a late breakaway goal from Willian sealed the three points for Chelsea with Gerrard’s mistake making all the headlines.
It was to be a painful end to an outstanding season for the Reds and one that Gerrard will rue for the rest of his life.
March 2015: Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United
Nearly a year on from that fateful afternoon against Chelsea, Gerrard was once again the villain as his side suffered another damaging defeat.
Having put together an impressive unbeaten run since they lost at Old Trafford in December, Liverpool went into their return fixture against Manchester United as favourites and with it could leapfrog their rivals and move into the top four.
But a dominant first-half display saw them trail one-nil at the break thanks to Juan Mata’s clinical finish.
Having started on the bench, Gerrard was summoned at half-time to spark a revival for the Reds, however a moment of madness just 38 seconds after the restart saw him sent off for a stamp on Ander Herrera.
There was to be no way back for the ten men as United extended their lead thanks to another wonderful goal from Mata, with Daniel Sturridge’s goal just a consolation in the end.
The defeat put a huge dent in their hopes of securing Champions League football for the second consecutive season with United moving five points clear; a gap that has only widened since then.
Unfortunately for Gerrard it will the defining moment of his final season at Anfield, and could be his last meaningful contribution for the team as his time at the club draws to a close.