Liverpool's victory meant they won the FA Cup for the seventh time, the club's manager Rafael Benítez stated that neither side deserved to lose the match: "It was difficult to say we deserved to win or the other team. It was a magnificent final. We knew that they could score goals but that we could also. We needed to keep going but after 63 games it was really difficult." Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard also praised West Ham, stating: "West Ham were brilliant, they gave us a really good game but we had a never-say-die attitude and we stuck in there, our best chance was on penalties as we did not have any energy left."[32] Due to the nature of the comeback, the match has come to be regarded as The Gerrard Final,[33] teammate Peter Crouch summed up the effect Gerrard had on the match: "When the injury-time board went up we thought our chance had gone, but it is always good to have a player like Steven Gerrard in your team."[34] A BBC Sport poll in May 2015 deemed Gerrard's goal to be the best in an FA Cup Final from the past 50 years.[35]
steven gerrard goal against west ham fa cup final
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The skipper scored similar goals before and since, but the context around this strike means it must rank up there not just with his best goals but also among the greatest FA Cup final goals of all-time.
Gerrard's first goal in the final, to equalise at 2-2, is largely forgotten because of what came after. Trailing 3-2 in the 90th minute the ball dropped to the midfielder, stricken by cramp, 30 yards from goal and he lashed in a shot which arrowed into the bottom corner of the net.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard lifts the FA CupLiverpool beat West Ham on penalties to win a thrilling FA Cup final.The Hammers took an early two-goal lead thanks to Jamie Carragher's own goal and Dean Ashton's close-range strike, before Djibril Cisse pulled one back.Steven Gerrard lashed home an equaliser after the break before Paul Konchesky's speculative cross put West Ham ahead.Gerrard's stunning last-minute strike forced extra-time, with Pepe Reina saving from Bobby Zamora, Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand in the shoot-out. Interview: Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard Interview: Rafael Benitez Interview: West Ham manager Alan Pardew
It was a fitting backdrop to a close-but-enthralling affair, settled by one of the great cup final goals from Youri Tielemans. Chelsea pushed Leicester but Kasper Schmeichel made two incredible late stops and VAR spared Wes Morgan an injury-time own-goal to see the FA Cup lifted by a side outside the Big Six for the first time in eight years.
A penalty shootout win gave Liverpool the FA Cup, but the headlines belonged to Gerrard. It was an incredible show of heroics when his team needed it most, an outstanding goal and a performance that will live long in the memory. This was the Steven Gerrard final. It will always be just that.
Despite these uncertain beginnings, the Liverpool management had seen enough to be sufficiently convinced Gerrard had what it took to succeed, and he entered the 1999-2000 season as a regular starter, partnering Jamie Redknapp in midfield. After starting the first eight games of the campaign, Gerrard was dropped for the Merseyside Derby match against Everton on 27 September 1999 in favour of Dietmar Hamann. Gerrard came on for Robbie Fowler with Liverpool trailing 1-0 and both teams down to 10 men, however he was sent off in the 90th minute for a studs-up, knee-high challenge on Everton striker Kevin Campbell. Gerrard was suspended for three matches. He came back from his suspension strong however, and netted his first Liverpool goal on 5 December 1999 in a 4-1 home League win over Sheffield Wednesday (below). The goal was a memorable one as he picked the ball up in midfield, danced through the Sheffield defence before drilling a low shot into the corner of the net.
Gerrard continued to feature regularly for the team for the remainder of the season, being used as a utility player as he filled in a variety of positions, including both right and left back and right wing. He was still however being hampered by groin and back problems. Gerrard completed the 1999-2000 season with 31 appearances and the one goal he netted against Sheffield Wednesday.
For the 2004-05 season, Gerrard was presented with the number 8 shirt- the shirt number he has worn ever since. The season began with a spell on the sidelines for Gerrard, as a foot injury sustained on 20 September 2004 in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United kept him out of action until November. Upon his return, Gerrard made possibly his most dramatic contribution in a Red shirt yet. On 8 December 2004, Liverpool were playing their final game of the Champions League group stage. They were hosting Olympiakos and were required to win by a two-goal margin to progress to the knockout stages of the competition. Having gone 1-0 down in the first half, Liverpool equalised and then went 2-1 up in the 80th minute. In the 86th minute- four minutes from elimination from the competition- Gerrard received a knock down from Neil Mellor outside the box. Gerrard rifled a shot into the bottom corner of the net to send his side through to the next round (below).
Liverpool's League form was underwhelming however the season was proving successful in the cup competitions. Gerrard scored the only goal in both legs of Liverpool's League Cup semi-final tie with Watford, however he faced the disappointment of netting an own goal that helped Chelsea beat the Reds in the final. Liverpool had gone 1-0 up early in the match, however Gerrard misjudged his defensive header from a Chelsea free kick and equalised for Chelsea. This sent the game into extra time, which Chelsea ultimately won 3-2.
With his future finally sorted, Gerrard went from strength to strength in the 2005-06 season. He scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 25 October 2005 in a 2-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace in the League Cup. He then made his 300th appearance for the club on 5 November 2005 in a 2-0 away League win against Aston Villa, with Gerrard also netting an 84th minute penalty in the game. He completed the season with 23 goals in 53 games, and was Liverpool's top scorer in every competition. He was named PFA Player of the Year in April, becoming the first Liverpool player since John Barnes in 1988 to win the award.
As with the season before, Gerrard capped the season with a memorable Cup final performance- this time in the FA Cup on 13 May 2006. Liverpool's opponents were West Ham and, with Liverpool the heavy favourites, West Ham took a surprise 2-0 lead early in the first half. Liverpool pulled a goal back when Gerrard launced a high, raking ball from the half way line over into the West Ham box that found the the foot of Djibril Cisse to bring Liverpool back into the match. Gerrard then brought the score level with a fierce short-range volley into the top corner, however Paul Konchesky later restored the Hammers' lead. With Liverpool still trailing in injury time and staring at an unlikely defeat, Gerrard collected a loose ball 30 yards out and arrowed a fierce shot into the bottom corner of the net (below). The goal is often recalled as Gerrard's finest, and it sent the match into extra time. Liverpool ultimately won the tie on penalties. Gerrard's goals in the match also meant that he had netted in all major cup finals (League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and Champions League).
In the 2006-07 season, Gerrard again amassed over 50 appearances and netted 11 goals in all competitions. The season culminated in yet another major cup final as Liverpool again made the final of the Champions League- again against AC Milan. This time however Gerrard would be unable to perform the same heroics that had seen him drag his Liverpool side to the 2005 Champions League and 2006 FA Cup titles as Liverpool lost 2-1. In the summer of 2007, Gerrard again signed a new four-year contract with Liverpool.
At the beginning of the 2007-08 season, Gerrard experienced an injury scare as he suffered a hairline toe fracture on 15 August 2007 in a game against Toulouse. The injury only kept him out for four days however, and Gerrard went on to make his 400th Liverpool appearance on 28 October 2007 in a 1-1 home League tie against Arsenal, with Gerrard netting Liverpool's goal. In the summer of 2007, Liverpool had signed Spanish striker Fernando Torres who Gerrard quickly struck up a fruitful partnership with. The two paired famously and netted a combined 54 goals- 21 of which were netted by Gerrard. Despite this Gerrard failed to lead his side to a Cup final, and Liverpool were only able to make 4th place in the League.
Gerrard's most prolific season for Liverpool came in 2008-09 as he helped propel his side to second place in the League- finishing only four points behind Manchester United but with a much superior goal difference. Gerrard underwent minor surgery on his groin at the start of the season, however he recovered quickly and went on to net his 100th career goal for Liverpool on 1 October 2008. The goal came in the shape of a well-executed free kick in a 3-1 victory at Anfield over PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. On 10 March 2009, Gerrard made his 100th appearance for Liverpool in Europe when Liverpool hosted Real Madrid. Gerrard netted twice as he inspired Liverpool to a memorable 4-0 win. Gerrard formed a famous midfield partnership with Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano as Liverpool made a strong push on a first League title in 19 years. On 14 March 2009, Gerrard netted a penalty as Liverpool hammered rivals Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford and followed this up six days later with a hat trick against Aston Villa in a 5-0 win. Gerrard was Liverpool's top scorer for the season with 24 goals in 44 games, including 16 goals in the Premier League. Gerrard's exploits this season prompted France legend Zinedine Zidane to proclaim: "Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but yes, I think he might be." On 13 May 2009, Gerrard was named the Football Writer's Player of the Year. Again, Gerrard signed a four year deal to tie himself to Liverpool until 2013. 2ff7e9595c
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