Liverpool fans are STILL convinced Steven Gerrard missed a penalty on purpose to get then-manager Roy Hodgson sacked.
Well, if he did do it on purpose, it worked because Hodgson was relieved from his Liverpool duties a few days after their crushing defeat to Blackburn back in January 2011.
Hodgson took charge of the Premier League giants in the summer of 2010 following a brilliant job at Fulham.
But his managerial reign at Anfield was bit of a nightmare – with the experienced manager failing to last the full season.
He left the club in a precarious position after suffering a 3-1 loss at Ewood Park in his final game in charge.
And Gerrard fluffing his lines from the spot was the final blow to Hodgson’s tenure at Liverpool, with many fans still believing the legendary midfielder did it on purpose.
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| Image: PA |
Did Gerrard not score on purpose? Many Liverpool supporters reckon so.
Most important LFC moment of the decade? Gerrard so blatantly missing a penalty on purpose to get Hodgson the sack pic.twitter.com/pAExawrFph
— Raj Chohan (@rajsinghchohan) December 31, 2019
Tbf to Gerrard, one of his misses was to get Hodgson sacked and it is clear watching it back that it was on his mind when he missed.
He looks at Hodgson, touches his badge, then misses the goal by a mile.
I would count that as a converted penalty and a massive win. https://t.co/cTPginICYw
— Stephen Drennan (@babuyagu) December 15, 2020
Remember when Steven Gerrard missed a penalty at Ewood Park to ensure Roy Hodgson lost his job?
— James Roxburgh (@James_Rox) January 2, 2015
One wrote: “Steven Gerrard definitely missed this penalty vs Blackburn on purpose to get Roy Hodgson sacked and I won’t accept any other explanations.”
A second commented: “This is why Stevie will always be Liverpool’s best ever player. He touched the badge before he took the pen, which as a gesture implies that he’s thinking about the club before himself. Thus he misses the penalty to get Roy sacked. Just look at his face. He’s going just that. Legend.”
A third added: “One of the best misses we have ever made.”
If it was some ploy to get Hodgson sacked then it worked out because, as mentioned, he was axed from his role at Liverpool just a few days following their defeat to Blackburn.