Fellow scouser Jamie Carragher could only marvel at the majesty of the tough-tackling midfielder's display, but he knows only too well that many at the club simply must raise their lacklustre performances if Gerrard's tremendous efforts are not to prove to be in vain.
Carragher said: "The captain sets the standards for the club, on and off the pitch, and I think Stevie is certainly doing that.
"His performances have shown he's relishing the captain's role and it's up to the rest of us to play at his level. If we were doing that, we'd be a lot higher up the table than we are.
"The way Stevie plays, he always pops up all over the park. He's got a lot of energy and since Didi's come back into the team he's enjoyed getting forward a lot more. He can cover every blade of grass and one of his strengths is he has the energy to do that.
"He was excellent again at Bolton, especially in the second half. That's the kind of performance you look for in your captain, driving the team forward from central midfield. He'll be delighted to get his first goal from open play this season as well which was a great finish. He fully deserved that and he should take a lot of credit for the way he played."
