If the 2-1 win in Barcelona was a surprise, the professional manner in which they dispatched PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday served to confirm the seriousness of Liverpool's determination and their belief that they can win the Champions League for the second time in three years. That was the feeling of Gerrard as he contemplated the 3-0 quarter-final, first-leg demolition of PSV and the prospect of a prolonged run in the competition.
"We are getting that same feeling we had in 2005, but I am also telling myself to slow down and realise that we have a lot more work before we can think about Athens," Gerrard said. "We did a really good job against PSV and we have one foot in the last four. I don't want to think about the last four yet. We have to be professional about the second leg and we know that we'll have two really tough games whoever we play in the semi-final, whether it is Chelsea or Valencia.
"When we played Barcelona everyone doubted us, but we showed what we are capable of. It was the reverse now - everyone was expecting us to beat PSV and I suppose there was a lot more pressure on us."
The feeling on Merseyside is that several players have peaked together. Liverpool started the season so badly that in the autumn the prospect of another Champions League final was laughed at. Not now.
"I was really frustrated at the start of the season," Gerrard said. "I didn't have much energy and I didn't feel the way I like to going into games. I felt lethargic and really tired from only a little rest after a World Cup that was draining, not just physically but mentally, too. When I got towards Christmas I could feel bits and bobs of my game coming back and I feel sharp at the moment, although on Saturday I was tired after all the travelling we had done with England.
"I think in general I am training better and hopefully I am peaking at the right time, because there are some really big games around the corner. If you look around our team now, all the big names are performing really well - Carragher, Reina, Alonso. So it is good to see."
Gerrard was almost embarrassed by the fact that, with Liverpool's first goal in Holland, he claimed his 15th goal and overtook Ian Rush's European Cup/Champions League club goalscoring record. But for at least one team-mate there is more to come.
Steve Finnan, who was outstanding in the Philips Stadion, said: "I wasn't aware of the record Stevie beat, but it's brilliant, superb, and hopefully there'll be a lot more goals to come. He's got plenty more years left in him. He's fantastic, a quality player, and deserves all the accolades he gets."
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez confirmed that defender Fabio Aurelio's ruptured Achilles' tendon, suffered in Eindhoven, rules him out for the rest of the season. "Fabio has started to play really well; this is a very bad blow for him and us," Benitez said.
"He felt as if he had been hit by a stone. The pain was from behind and it struck him like he had been hit. It is a real tragedy for us."