STEVIE GERRARD had a pain in the foot before kick-off — and then proved to be a pain in the neck for Villa.
The England and Liverpool skipper needed an injection in a heel after coming back from World Cup duty with the Three Lions.But he scored from the penalty spot before brilliantly heading a Christian Benteke effort clear off the line as Liverpool beat struggling Villa 2-1.
And Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers reiterated afterwards the club want to open talks with their inspirational skipper about a new two-year contract.
Rodgers said: “He was in a bit of pain and struggling to get a boot on.
“He had to get an injection in his heel before the match. It was nothing major but many other players might not have played.
“He’s a remarkable man. Look at his fitness level and his running ability.
“He has been like that the majority of the season. A real inspirational man, a top. top player who has hunger and desire for Liverpool to succeed.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him. To work with the man has been phenomenal to me.”
LIVERPOOL boss hails star striker and insists club have no intention of cashing in on him in the summer
He said: “Absolutely. No question about it that he can carry on like Giggs.
“It is not what they are doing now, it is what they have done earlier in their careers, when they were 17, 18, 19.
“He can play on into his late 30s. He is 32 and still wants to improve. He is England captain and still wants to improve.
“Not only does he have ability but he has taken on a real leadership role within the team.
“There were moments within the second half when he was organising the team.
“He has taken on board the responsibility of being vocal and the onfield leader.
“The one he cleared off the line, he was marking the space. He wasn’t even on the post.
“Nine times out of 10, players let the ball go over their head and don’t get back in but that is his professionalism.
“He is a real influential player for us and will be for a number of years.
“When I first got appointed at Liverpool, he cut short his holiday to fly back and welcome me to the club.
“He said he and Jamie Carragher would be 150 per cent behind me and since that day they have been 200 per cent behind me.”
Gerrard, who is 33 in May, will have 12 months left on his current £120,000-a-week deal this summer and Kop boss Rodgers wants it extending.
He said: “His new contract is something on the agenda and will happen in due course.”
Liverpool kept their faint European hopes alive, closing the gap on Merseyside rivals Everton and fifth-placed Arsenal.
Rodgers admitted: “It was about returning to the form and the quality we have shown in the last couple of months.
“I thought the players were brilliant. It was a great win for us.
“In the first half, we played reasonably well but got punished with a long ball and it ended up a good finish from Benteke.
“But second half I thought the players were outstanding with the mentality and the quality in their game.
“We had a lot of shots and were very good offensively.
“Once it got to 2-1 I thought we could control things. The players were magnificent.”
Villa boss Paul Lambert, whose team now face another battle to climb out of the bottom three having achieved that four times already this season, said: “We’ve shown before we can get out of the bottom three.
“There are still going to be some twists and turns before the end of the season.”
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