Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Reds Will Bounce Back Behind Steven Gerrard

Liverpool will take revenge in record time.

On Saturday, Chelsea defeated the Reds in the FA Cup final by the score of 2-1. But Liverpool won’t be forced to wait long to redeem themselves. The two teams will face off yet again on Tuesday, May 8th, and this time around, the Blues won’t take home the victory.

According to Mail Online, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard told the press after his squad’s weekend loss, "We need to dust ourselves down and we need to respond to the challenge next year. We need to come back. Football is about highs and lows, it was certainly a low [on Saturday].”

Liverpool’s lows have been frequent this year. In 2012 Barclays Premier League play, they’ve lost 10 out of 17 matches. Gerrard touched on that lack of success after Saturday’s letdown, saying:

"

We've been fantastic in the cup competitions this year and the players deserve a lot of credit for that. We haven't been good enough in the league this year and we deserve criticism and we need to take criticism like men.

"

Just two months ago, Liverpool nearly defeated Arsenal, which would have put them within four points of the Gunners in the standings. It isn’t like the Reds don’t have the talent—they simply aren’t playing up to their potential.

Gerrard continued his post-game rant, admitting, “We need to do better. We're Liverpool Football Club; we're not seventh or eighth in the league. We're better than that."

Expect Liverpool to rebound behind their captain in Tuesday’s grudge match.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels