Courtesy of a wonderful first-half goal by Rivaldo, their bow-legged Brazilian maestro, Olympiakos were on the verge of qualifying for the knockout phase of the competition in Liverpool’s stead when Gerrard hammered an 86th-minute shot beyond their goalkeeper.
Through his astute use of substitutions — Florent Sinama Pongolle and Neil Mellor, hardly the most fêted of attackers, propelled Liverpool back into a quest that had been almost deserted — Rafael Benítez has probably earned a place in Scouse folklore, but Gerrard’s intervention was the decisive one.
He may have alarmed a few people, not least his employers, with his pre-match tirade, but the response was supreme.
It was belated, however. AS Monaco’s 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruña in the other group A fixture meant that Liverpool required a clear two-goal victory and while Gerrard’s football was irrepressible, even he was incapable of preventing Rivaldo from spinning his magic.
Once the 32-year-old, who came close to joining Bolton Wanderers last summer, scored after 27 minutes with a delightful free kick, Benítez’s players crumbled.
On two occasions already the playmaker had unfurled free kicks into the penalty area — the first, taken quickly, flew above the crossbar, the second was cleared by Gerrard’s forehead — when, after a sumptuous dribble forward, he was brought down by Sami Hyypia 25 yards out.
A covering run by Steve Finnan probably saved the central defender from a booking, or worse, but stern punishment was to follow.
Rivaldo did not spurn a third invitation to try his luck from distance, stroking the ball with his left boot and far to the right of Chris Kirkland, who barely trembled on his line. The goalkeeper was not assisted by a yawning gap in the defensive wall, which fell apart abysmally, or by Antonio Núñez, who swayed at the crucial moment. That, on the face of it, appeared to be that.
Liverpool and Gerrard had begun at a determined tempo but lost their way badly. Milan Baros, back in the team after an absence of five matches with a hamstring injury, was denied by the referee’s whistle, a header from Hyypia — meeting Gerrard’s corner — found the side-netting and Gerrard turned a free kick from Xabi Alonso on to a post, but impetus then deserted the home team.
Half-time brought respite. “We needed something different, so I talked to my staff and changed the players,” Benítez said and a fresh pair of legs brought a more energetic outlook.
Sinama Pongolle has not been a universally respected figure in these parts, scoring just once in 12 previous appearances this season, but he took his second with alacrity.
Harry Kewell had been a listless figure, but two minutes after the resumption, the Australia forward summoned the will and drive to circumvent Anastasios Pantos on the left flank. He squared possession into the 18-yard box, where Sinama Pongolle, a replacement for Djimi Traoré, evaded the attentions of Stylianos Veneditis and prodded the ball home. It was Liverpool’s 200th goal in the European Cup.
Suddenly, the atmosphere returned and the pace quickened. Peeved by some blatant play-acting, with Rivaldo a notable culprit, Liverpool’s tempers threatened to snap and Gerrard warranted the yellow card he was shown for raising a foot against Ieroklis Stoltidis. He will miss the next match. Further annoyance was to follow when a goal that Gerrard believed he had scored was disallowed for a debatable infringement by Baros.
Recovery appeared beyond them, but the denouement was frenetic and extraordinary. Within two minutes of his arrival, Mellor was reacting smartly to a cross from Sinama Pongolle and Núñez’s header and Liverpool grasped the lead.
A smothered attempt from Kewell and futile penalty appeal came next, but redemption was grasped defiantly by Gerrard. It could be nobody else; the shot was unstoppable and so was he. “The goal was important for the team, for the club, for the supporters and for Steve more because he’s the captain,” Benítez said. “He wants to win with his club, always. This is one of the proudest moments of my career.