Steven Gerrard Discusses Infamous Slip, Leaving Liverpool

Although the mistake itself is firmly in the midfielder's past, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard suffered lasting scars from the slip against Chelsea that saw him miss out on the 2013-14 Premier League crown.

In a segment from his autobiography, Steven Gerrard: My Story, being serialised by the Daily Mail, Gerrard discussed the heartache of that infamous tumble and the opportunities that came his way before leaving Anfield earlier this year. 

On April 27, 2014, Gerrard reneged on his own advice to allow Demba Ba an opportunity that proved pivotal in a 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea and ultimately saw Manchester City claim that season's title by two points:

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I sat in the back of the car and felt the tears rolling down my face. I hadn't cried for years but, on the way home, I couldn't stop. The tears kept coming. I can't even tell you if the streets were thick with traffic or as empty as I was on the inside. It was killing me.

I felt numb, like I had lost someone in my family. It was as if my whole quarter of a century at this football club poured out of me. I did not even try to stem the silent tears as the events of the afternoon played over and over again in my head. 

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As the LA Galaxy talisman adds, it would have been the Reds' first top-flight triumph since 1990, not to mention completing a trophy cabinet that looks agonisingly incomplete without a Premier League winners' medal to Gerrard's name.

Of all the moments in which the 35-year-old had been ever so reliable for his boyhood club, it so happened this was a moment his resolve would prove insufficient, and the Merseysiders suffered as a result:

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A simple pass rolled towards me near the halfway line. It was a nothing moment, a lull in our surge to the title. I moved to meet the ball. It slid under my foot. The twist came then. I slipped. I fell to the ground.

The ball was swept away and the devastating Chelsea attack began. I clambered to my feet and ran with all my heart. I chased Demba Ba as though my life depended on it. I knew the outcome if I couldn't catch him. But it was hopeless. I couldn't stop him. Ba scored. It was over.

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Gerrard goes on to state that despite the crowd backing their evergreen icon with a hearty rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone," he felt "alone" and "isolated," which are very understandable reactions given the guilt one may feel in that scenario.

Gerrard has spoken of how this moment affected him in the past, but never with such a candid honesty as in his second autobiography, with South African author Donald McRae praising his contribution to the book:

Prior to the announcement he would be heading for Los Angeles at the beginning of 2015, there was a swell of speculation as to whether Gerrard could prolong his playing days in Europe—or even with another Premier League side.

Tottenham Hotspur were among those hoping to ensure the latter, too, as Gerrard proclaims in another Daily Mail sneak-peek that Spurs were in for his services, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco:

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The first offer came from Besiktas, then managed by Slaven Bilic. Monaco were next. They came in strong. Paris Saint-Germain were also very keen. David Moyes called my agent a couple of times, to see whether I would be interested in playing for him at Real Sociedad.

A few English clubs called but I wouldn’t play against Liverpool. There was interest from Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. It was good to know he still rated me. I was sure I could play in the Premier League for another year but there would not have been much of a buzz doing the same thing all over again with Tottenham.

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But the ex-England international shunned all European advances to set up a new chapter of his life on the west coast of the United States, penning an 18-month contract at the StubHub Center.

There was the growing notion toward the end of Gerrard's Liverpool career that his talent was declining; it would take a rare talent not to at the age of 35. Nevertheless, some current stars of the Premier League still argue he is one of the best to have ever played:

Gerrard left Anfield after 17 sparkling years in Liverpool's first team, but the playmaker has played but a handful of games in Major League Soccer, a new frontier in his career promising new and unforeseen surprises.

After the ups and downs of his Premier League years, the elation and bitter emotion provided by almost three decades in English football, it's the kind of fresh start Gerrard not only needs, but deserves.