Steven Gerrard has returned to the painful final weeks of Liverpool’s 2013-14 title pursuit, saying Manchester City’s financial case raises questions about memories other clubs may have lost rather than medals that could yet be reassigned.
Gerrard does not want a delayed title
The former Liverpool captain addressed the Manchester City case during an episode of the Overlap Daily podcast released on Monday. City were found guilty of 114 financial breaches relating to the period from 2009 to 2018.
One season remains especially close to Gerrard: 2013-14, when City finished two points above Liverpool to win the Premier League.
Gerrard said he holds no personal resentment towards City’s players and would not seek to receive a winners’ medal retrospectively.
“I have nothing against the Manchester City players personally,” he said. “They are outstanding footballers, they experienced those occasions and, of course, they deserve to have had them. I am not someone who would sit here and say I would take a champions’ medal or want one of theirs. I have accepted that I never won the Premier League.”
The 2014 moment that still follows him
- Liverpool entered the closing stage of the 2013-14 campaign in the title race with City.
- In the 36th round, Gerrard slipped against Chelsea, allowing Demba Ba through to score.
- The defeat damaged Liverpool’s hopes, and City ultimately ended the season two points clear of the Reds.
- Gerrard said he has made peace with the incident that happened late in that campaign.
The midfielder spent his Liverpool playing career between 1998 and 2015, but the missed chance to lift the league title remains one of the defining shadows around his time at Anfield.
“Potentially stolen” memories
Gerrard’s argument was not centred on changing the record books for his own benefit. Instead, he challenged those connected to City to consider the impact on opponents across nearly a decade.
“I have heard many City players, supporters and public figures say that those moments cannot be taken away from them,” Gerrard said. “But what about the memories they may have taken from others?”
He said the issue extended beyond Liverpool, naming Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton, as well as clubs fighting relegation or competing in cup competitions.
Gerrard added that former and current City players, the club’s owners and everyone linked with the side should reflect on the memories that may have been denied to rival teams and their supporters over nine or 10 years.
