Steven Gerrard may be a Villan nowadays but he wasn't often the villain in the eyes of Liverpool fans.
Indeed, Gerrard's heroics during his time at Anfield mean he's often regarded as possibly the best player to ever pull on a Liverpool shirt. But even he knew he'd done wrong 16 years ago today, when he was sent off during a wild Merseyside derby at Anfield.
Fortunately for the Huyton-born midfielder, his team-mates held firm to record a 3-1 victory and make it a memorable derby for more reasons than one.
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"It's not very often I'm the villain," he 'd say afterwards, "but the lads were all heroic, every one of them."
Indeed, Harry Kewell's curling effort will live long in the memory for Liverpool fans that day. A goal that capped off an afternoon that had looked to be unravelling when Gerrard was shown red for a second booking after a rash challenge on Kevin Kilbane.
The celebrations in the away end were nothing short of wild for what seemed like a game-changing moment but Gerrard, whose first yellow card was due to the petty act of kicking the ball away after a free-kick was awarded to Everton, watched from the changing rooms as Phil Neville scored a bullet header at the wrong end to give Liverpool the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Luis Garcia would get onto the end of Peter Crouch's flick to double Liverpool's lead just two minutes after the restart. Crouch had tormented Everton all afternoon and he was occupying the attention of the Toffees' backline when Kewell curled in the third just six minutes from time to kill off Everton's hopes of a comeback sparked by Tim Cahill's strike with half an hour to go.
The win moved Liverpool up to second in the Premier League table but, perhaps more satisfying for the home fans, it gave Rafa Benitez's side bragging rights over an Everton team that was left red-faced after squandering their advantage.
Even so, Benitez, who had simmered with fury on the touchline as his captain hid his face under his shirt when trudging off the field, couldn't hide his frustration with Gerrard's sending off when speaking after the game.
"Perhaps Stevie can learn from this experience so that it does not happen in a big game, like a one-off FA Cup match or a World Cup game," he said.
"We can now show the players why they have to be careful. These mistakes can hurt you, so you have to be in control, stay calm and use your brain.
"The first [booking] was a mistake and he can learn from that. He knows what he's done. He understands. The second was a technical mistake because the team was under pressure but this experience can be good for Stevie in the future."
His opposite number bemoaned his side's 'giddy' reaction to Gerrard's sending off and, perhaps predictably, pointed the finger at 'over-fussy' referee Phil Dowd, who'd shown 11 yellow cards and another red for Andy van der Meyde's elbow on the excellent Xabi Alonso.
Alan Stubbs would also take aim, calling Dowd 'petty', 'pathetic' and 'desperate to even it up as soon as possible'.
Nevertheless, David Moyes has yet to win at Anfield 16 years and three Premier League clubs on.
Gerrard, meanwhile, would return two weeks later as the Reds beat Bolton 1-0 at Anfield as Benitez's side finished the league season with nine consecutive victories.
He'd also score twice and put in the performance of his career to save Liverpool and beat West Ham in the FA Cup final.
Not a bad way to return the favour.
