Steven Gerrard in statistics: Liverpool legend’s Anfield farewell
Friday 15 May 2015 17:19, UK
We pick out some of the best stats from Steven Gerrard’s career ahead of his Anfield farewell.
As Steven Gerrard gets ready to make his final Anfield appearance for Liverpool at the weekend, the statistics of a remarkable career are coming to the fore.
How many appearances and how many goals? Which teams did they come against? What about all those penalties and the red cards too?
Here are just some of the numbers that help put Gerrard’s astonishing career for Liverpool and England into context…
Where does he rank among midfield goalscorers?
Only Frank Lampard has scored more goals from midfield in the Premier League era with Gerrard surpassing the goalscoring achievements of other iconic midfielders in the Premier League ‘100 club’ such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Champions League glory with Liverpool in 2005
Gerrard’s header sparked Liverpool’s comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final but while the captain was already the club’s talisman, it is sometimes forgotten that he was only 24 at the time – the same age as current Reds striker Mario Balotelli. In fact, Gerrard became the second-youngest captain ever to lift the European Cup.
Longevity adds to the Liverpool legacy
Gerrard has made more than 500 appearances for Liverpool, playing over 40,000 minutes of football for his home-town club. He has scored 119 goals and provided 92 assists in the Premier League alone and his PFA Team of the Season selection in 2013/14 was a record eighth nomination.
Hope and disappointment with England
Gerrard’s England career ended with the frustration of captaining England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where the team exited at the group stage without winning a game. He captained his country on 38 occasions, winning 114 caps in all – a tally bettered only by Peter Shilton and David Beckham.
Despite attempts to characterise much of England’s so-called ‘golden generation’ as international failures, only four players – Gary Lineker, Sir Geoff Hurst, Sir Bobby Charlton and Michael Owen – have scored more World Cup goals for England than Gerrard.
Who has Gerrard played most against?
Gerrard has faced 42 different Premier League teams and 115 different club sides in all. There have been 35 games against Manchester United, 34 against Arsenal and 33 clashes with Everton. But it’s Chelsea, the club that he almost left Liverpool to join, that has been his most regular opponent.
Jose Mourinho recently referred to Gerrard as “my dear enemy” and they do say familiarity breeds contempt. Gerrard has faced Chelsea on 40 occasions, five more times than he’s taken on any other team, and the Stamford Bridge crowd took a brief break from the abuse to applaud the midfielder on his final appearance at the stadium last weekend.
Who has Gerrard scored the most against?
Aston Villa have received the most punishment over the years with Gerrard scoring 13 goals against them over the course of his career but the identity of the other teams near the top of the list is perhaps more revealing when it comes to Gerrard’s reputation as a big-game player.
The Liverpool captain has found the net 10 times against Merseyside neighbours Everton and scored nine goals against fierce rivals Manchester United – including a memorable brace in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford last season. His nine goals against West Ham also include two in the FA Cup final in 2006.
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Is there any other business?
Gerrard’s total of 47 penalties is also a Liverpool club record but there is an unwanted record too – as well as his 61 yellow cards, the 35-year-old has been sent off on six occasions in the Premier League. That’s more than any other Liverpool player and joint-sixth on the Premier League list.
