Celtic Legends went down 2-0 as Steven Gerrard got the last laugh at Anfield.
The Liverpool hero and former Rangers manager notched a penalty after getting pelters from the Hoops fans – and almost ended up getting hit by missiles. A section of Hoops fans went over the score when Gerrard tried to win them up with his celebrations on a day when both clubs raised fortunes for the Liverpool and Celtic Foundations.
The Reds skipper slotted from the spot and got met by a shower of objects, but it didn’t take too much of a shine out of a good natured and fairly competitive friendly clash in front of a bumper crowd. Gerrard grabbed the opener with Mark Gonzalez making it two early in the second half – before Celtic had TWO goals ruled out for offside. Darren O’Dea thought he’d atoned for giving away the penalty when he headed home, only for his celebration to be cut short, while Ragnar Klavan’s blushes were spared when his own goal was scrubbed due to an earlier flag.
The Hoops heroes – bossed by Paul Lambert – included the likes of Stiliyan Petrov, Jan Vennegoor of Hesseling and Robbie Keane – who played for both sides. But Liverpool’s slightly younger side that had stars such as Gerrard, Steve McManaman, Dirk Kuty, Luis Garcia and Djibril Cisse were a tad too strong.
NOT SO FRIENDLY
It was inevitable Gerrard would cop it from the Celtic support after his time as Rangers boss. But it was maybe also nailed on the man who shattered the Parkhead sides 10 in a Row bid would find the net. A bit of back and forth between the Liverpool legend and the away fans would have been expected – and there would have been nothing wrong with wind ups and banter.
A section of the travelling band took it too far though. Lobbing missiles on to the pitch and aiming at Gerrard was miles offside. There’s no place for chucking stuff in any match – but to do it in a charity match was madness. Celtic fans used to get invited down to England regularly because the support arrived in huge numbers, provided a tremendous atmosphere and always behaved themselves.
The ones who stepped over the line caused the club considerable embarrassment.
Magic moments
There were plenty of Celtic heroes in the ranks of the Paul Lambert select side – but there were also a couple of players who never actually appeared for the Hoops first team.
There might have been a famous old picture of Shay Given in his Celts training kit from back in the day, when he lined up next to Packie Bonner and a young Brad Friedel – who also never played – but he finally got his chance to turn out for the side and made a couple of cracking saves.
Trevor Sinclair was another one. The former Man City star’s step dad is a huge Hoops fan and his mum hails from Donegal, and he grew up a big supporter from afar. Sinclair was linked with a move to Parkhead a few times over the years, but it never quite happened, and he made the most of his chance to get out in the green and white at Anfield.
Still look the part
There were a few out there who found it harder going than others! But there were also a good few players who look like they could still do a job at a decent level.
For Celts, Mika Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Harold Brattbakk and big Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink hadn’t changed much, while Robbie Keane might not have the same burst of pace, but he’s still got the touch. The same goes for a couple of Celtic cult heroes, with Massimo Donati and Marc Crosas still looking as cool on and off the pitch as they did when they were cutting about Glasgow as players.
They’ve still got it and the same can be said of Gerrard, who clearly was determined to put on a show and lasted the 90 minutes. His Reds teammates like Luis Garcia, Mark Gonzalez and Martin Skrtel looked like they’d still walk into most teams in Scotland.
Charity the real winner
There was an added edge to the game and some naughty behaviour, but no one should lose sight of the fact this meaty clash was for a worthy cause with Liverpool and Celtic’s Foundations raising funds for the less well off. There was an incredible crowd at Anfield with nearly 50,000 fans packing the place, including a travelling army of more than 4000. The finals sums have yet to be tallied but it’s fair to say both charitable wings will have been massively boosted by the mammoth turnout.
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