Saturday 2 May 2015 20:26, UK
Steven Gerrard has called on Liverpool to finish the season strongly after his late header sealed all three points in a 2-1 win against relegation-threatened QPR.
Philippe Coutinho gave Brendan Rodgers’ side the lead in the first half before Leroy Fer grabbed an equaliser for the visitors.
But Gerrard, who missed a penalty in the 78th minute, had the final say in his penultimate match at Anfield, heading home Coutinho’s corner with just three minutes remaining to put Liverpool four points behind Manchester United in the race for the Champions League places.
“We’ve got to worry about ourselves,” Gerrard said.
“We need to try and finish strong and I’m sure the manager’s already got one eye on next season but these games are still important.
“You’re representing Liverpool football club so you want to win them all.
“We want to keep pressure up on the teams above because if they do slip up in a couple of games we’ve got to be ready to pounce.”
The winner was Gerrard’s seventh league goal of the season but he could have had another had it not been for Robert Green’s penalty save.
The Liverpool captain was delighted to get his name on the scoresheet but admitted he broke the golden rule of penalty taking by changing his mind during his run up.
“I wanted to get on the scoresheet,” Gerrard added.
"I wanted to score the penalty but I changed my mind on the run up which is a very silly thing to do.
“Rule number one when you’re taking penalties is you can’t change your mind so I’ve got myself to blame for the penalty miss but thankfully I made up for it and helped get the team three points today.
“It was nice. I’ll take any goal. I’ve only got one more appearance left at Anfield so it was nice to score today and get the winning goal but more importantly the team get three points and everyone goes home happy.”
Gerrard was substituted minutes after scoring the winner and was rewarded a standing ovation from the home supporters. The 34-year-old, who will make his final Anfield appearance against Crystal Palace in two weeks’ time, thanked the fans for all their support through the years.
“These supporters have been behind me all the way,” Gerrard added.
“They helped me become the player I am today so I thanked them for that support. I’m really looking forward to my last appearance here in a couple of weeks.
“It’s going to be emotional for myself and my family. I’m really looking forward to it.”
