Steven Gerrard's Most Heroic Liverpool Acts

On Saturday, Anfield will celebrate the career of a man who is comfortably Liverpool's best player of the last 25 years.

Steven Gerrard will once again lead out his boyhood team for a testimonial match against the Greek side Olympiakos, a team that looms so large in the storied history of the local lad's Reds career.

Over 15 years, Gerrard has specialised in delivering miraculous escapes to help an often underperforming Liverpool side stay as close to the top of the world game as they possibly can.

He's inspired, chiseled and often dragged performances out of those around him, and when he does call his career quits―although his recent two-year contract extension suggests that isn't imminent―he'll have plenty of memories to look back on.

To celebrate this, his 16th season in the first-team, here are 16 heroic acts from a truly special player.

An Instant Merseyside Derby Impact

It was a match that was remembered more for Robbie Fowler's goal celebration, but after young right-back Gerrard entered the fray for his first Merseyside derby as a late substitute he ended up having a huge impact.

Francis Jeffers scored to reduced Everton's deficit to 3-2 with six minutes to go in this Anfield contest in April 1999, and with the Blues pressing for an equaliser Reds goalkeeper David James was coming under huge pressure.

Cue Gerrard, who performed two dramatic goalline clearances in the final moments of the match to seal Liverpool's win.

It wouldn't be the last time he'd be the hero.

Blasting Past Barthez

Maybe it was the moment that Gerrard really burst onto the world stage, and it was certainly one which made Manchester United fans sit up and take notice.

It was March 2001, and two months before turning 21 Gerrard was playing in one of the most watched matches worldwide.

That didn't faze him though, and 16 minutes in, he picked up a lay-off from Fowler before blasting an unstoppable 30-yard thunderbolt past Fabian Barthez and into the top corner of the net at the Anfield Road End.

Liverpool won the match 2-0, with Gerrard at the heart of everything.

Setting a Trend in Dortmund

It is a match now often forgotten due to what has gone on since, but Liverpool's madcap 5-4 UEFA Cup final win over the Spanish underdogs Alaves belongs on any list of the great European finals.

Gerrard set his tradition of scoring in cup finals in the contest when he ran on to Michael Owen's pass and struck a low shot into the bottom corner, adding to Markus Babbel's earlier goal to double Liverpool's lead on 16 minutes.

What followed was scarcely believable, but the Reds eventually ran out winners in extra-time in Dortmund thanks to Delfi Geli's golden own goal.

Silencing Goodison Park, Not for the Last Time

Liverpool's cup treble winners of 2001 were under pressure to perform better in the league in the following season, but they lost two of their first three games and then fell behind at Goodison Park after just four minutes.

With Everton supporters goading the Reds with chants of "going down", Gerrard took it upon himself to silence them when he picked the ball up on the right edge of the penalty area and arrowed an unstoppable shot into the top corner for the equaliser.

The Reds won 3-1 and didn't go down, finishing second to Everton's 15th.

No Houllier, No Problem

The Reds had been rocked in October 2001 when manager Gerard Houllier was taken ill at half-time during a match against Leeds, eventually being rushed to hospital and forced to fight for his life.

Just three days after that Leeds match, Liverpool were required to head to the Ukraine, where no English club had ever won, for a Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev.

With the match poised at 1-1, Gerrard burst through the home defence and finished smartly to put Liverpool ahead.

They held on for a terrific win, achieved in the toughest of circumstances.

A Cup Is Won in Cardiff

Liverpool's 2002/03 league season was by no means a vintage one―although by recent standards it was pretty good―but the campaign as a whole was garnished with a League Cup final success over Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium.

Jerzy Dudek stole the headlines thanks to a string of fine saves in the 2-0 win, but it was Gerrard who started the ball rolling on the victory when his pile-driver from distance deflected off David Beckham and looped into the net.

Michael Owen made the game safe with a late clincher, but it had been Gerrard's goal which set the tone.

A Captain's Innings Against Charlton

Liverpool were chasing a place in the top four in April 2003, but it looked as though they'd let it slip out of their hands when a mistake from Djimi Traore allowed Charlton Athletic's Shaun Bartlett to put the Londoners ahead at Anfield.

They kept that lead until four minutes from time, when Gerrard's corner was headed in by Sami Hyypia.

Then in the final minute of normal time, Gerrard cut inside two Charlton defenders and buried a low shot beyond the dive of goalkeeper Dean Kiely at the Kop end to spark wild celebrations.

"It's not good for my heart," said Houllier, who made the 23-year-old Gerrard club captain six months later.

The First Step on the Road to Istanbul

August 2004, and in Rafael Benitez's first official game in charge of Liverpool, the Reds were in Austria to take on Grazer AK in a Champions League qualifier.

Most of the attention was based on the substitutes' bench where Owen remained seated throughout the game in order to not become cup-tied for the competition. He would move to Real Madrid just days later.

On the pitch, Gerrard―playing in a more advanced role for the first time―cracked home two trademark efforts to give Liverpool a 2-0 first leg lead.

Those goals proved crucial as the Reds lost the second leg 1-0 at Anfield, and a long road to Istanbul had begun...

"You Beauty!"

When Gerrard's career is over this goal will be a permanent fixture on the highlight reel.

At 1-0 down to Olympiakos after a Rivaldo free-kick, Liverpool were staring at a group stage exit from the 2004/05 Champions League, which was hardly a surprise given that they hadn't even qualified for it the season before and fell at the first hurdle the year before that.

Due to the group situation they now needed to score three times to progress, and they managed to pull a goal back when half-time substitute Florent Sinama-Pongolle turned in a Harry Kewell cross with his first touch.

A further goal didn't arrived until 10 minutes from time when Neil Mellor, another sub, followed up a header from Antonio Nunez to score from close range, before Gerrard―who had earlier had a goal inexplicably disallowed―took centre stage.

Four minutes remained as Jamie Carragher's lofted ball was nodded down by Mellor straight into the path of Gerrard, who dramatically, brilliantly smashed home a half-volley into the corner of the Kop end net from 25 yards.

Anfield erupted, but that was just the start.

Istanbul

It was over. Done.

Liverpool's run to the 2005 Champions League final had been a fantastic ride for the fans, but now they were up against AC Milan―regarded as the best side on the continent back then―they'd come up against something special. They were 3-0 down at half-time, after all.

Then from nowhere came a miracle.

Gerrard started it when he headed home John Arne Riise's cross from the left, with the sight of the Reds captain whirling his arms and encouraging his players a dramatic sight that galvanised his teammates, his fans and indeed millions of neutrals watching around the world.

In the blink of an eye Vladimir Smicer made it 3-2 and then Gerrard won a penalty which Xabi Alonso converted after a rebound. It was 3-3.

Shattered, and with Gerrard playing as a right wing-back, Liverpool held on to take the match to penalties, where Dudek's save from Andriy Shevchenko won them the trophy in astonishing fashion.

No-one deserved it more than Gerrard, whose place amongst the modern day elite had been firmly established.

The Gerrard Final of 2006

More so than Istanbul, this will be the game perhaps most recalled when Gerrard's sometime-superhuman efforts are discussed.

Despite being heavy favourites, Liverpool fell 2-0 down to underdogs West Ham in the FA Cup final in Cardiff in 2006.

Gerrard helped halve the deficit when his lofted ball was well finished by Djibril Cisse, and the skipper then drew the Reds level when he blasted home a loose ball early in the second half.

Future Liverpool full back Paul Konchesky then saw his over-hit cross loop into the net to put West Ham in front, and just when it looked as though that fortune would lead them to the FA Cup, up stepped Gerrard―who had been suffering from cramp just seconds earlier―to scarcely believably blast home from long range in stoppage time for a dramatic equaliser.

That eventually meant penalties again, and Pepe Reina saved three West Ham spot kicks as the Reds won the trophy.

Regardless of the goalkeeper's heroics, this was always going to be 'The Gerrard Final.'

Another Year, Another Final

Liverpool were riding the crest of a wave in Europe, and Gerrard was right at the centre of it.

In the Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea at Anfield, the Reds had to come from a goal down from the first leg.

They drew level on aggregate when Gerrard's quickly taken free-kick was swept home by Daniel Agger.

Once again penalties would decide a Liverpool game, and the skipper scored as the Reds won to ensure a second Champions League final in three years.

Nerves of Steel Against Arsenal

Another manic Champions League night at Anfield saw Liverpool and Arsenal locked at 2-2, with Theo Walcott's terrific run setting up Emmanuel Adebayor for the strike which put the Gunners ahead on away goals.

Just moments after that though, Ryan Babel burst into the box and went to ground under a challenge from future Reds defender Kolo Toure. Liverpool had a penalty with just five minutes remaining.

Up stepped Gerrard, who buried a kick high into the corner of the net under extreme pressure to put the Reds ahead.

Babel added another goal to secure the win, and the Reds were through to the semis.

Burying Real Madrid

At 1-0 up from the first leg, Liverpool had high hopes when they welcomed Real Madrid to Anfield for the second leg of their Champions League second round tie in March 2009. They could hardly have expected to win 4-0 though.

Fernando Torres fired them ahead before Gerrard took over.

He blasted a penalty past Iker Casillas to double the lead on the night, before turning home the goal of the night when he expertly converted from a Babel cross.

The Italian Andrea Dossena scored the fourth to complete a somewhat surreal night, which had been inspired by Gerrard.

Seeing off Napoli in 15 Minutes

Roy Hodgson didn't have many moments to smile about during his brief Liverpool managerial reign, but Gerrard provided him with one in this Europa League group game in November 2010.

Ezequiel Lavezzi had given the Italians the lead in the first half, before Hodgson introduced Gerrard as a half-time substitute.

It was a quarter of an hour from time when he first made his impact, seizing upon an error from ex-teammate Dossena to score past Morgan De Sanctis.

Glen Johnson then won a penalty which Gerrard converted, before the skipper completed his hat-trick when he was set up by Lucas Leiva.

Liverpool won 3-1, and it was almost all down to their captain.

Making Merseyside Derby History

Not since Ian Rush in 1982 had there been a hat-trick in a Merseyside derby, but Gerrard changed all that with his treble against Everton at Anfield in March 2012.

The midfielder's first goal arrived after Tim Howard had pushed a Martin Kelly effort back into his path, with his clever lofted finish beating the goalkeeper and defenders on the line.

His two further goals owed much to the industry and energy of Luis Suarez, who twice teed up his captain to finish smartly and see off an Everton side that he has always enjoyed getting the better of.

And there aren't many who get the better of him.