Locke. |
04-06-2009 02:32 PM |
LFC PLAYER OF THE SEASON: STEVEN GERRARD
Steven Gerrard is today crowned LFC Player of the Season for 2008-09 following a fans' poll on Liverpoolfc.tv.
Stevie G enjoyed another outstanding season at Anfield, for which he was named the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year.
The skipper notched a total of 24 goals in all competitions - a personal best tally that saw him overtake Ian St John in the club's all-time record goalscorer list - to claim first place in our poll with an incredible 46 per cent of your vote.
What makes that achievement even more remarkable is the fact he attained that figure in just 44 appearances.
Gerrard started the season in dramatic fashion with a stoppage-time winner against Middlesbrough at Anfield in only Liverpool's second Premier League fixture of the campaign.
Injury forced him to start September's home triumph over Manchester United on the bench, but he marked his return to fitness with a bang by scoring both goals in the 2-1 victory over Marseille in the Champions League.
The 29-year-old skippered Liverpool to a Merseyside derby victory over Everton at Goodison Park before claiming his 100th career goal with a thumping free-kick against PSV Eindhoven in front of the Kop in October. He made his 450th Reds appearance against Wigan soon after.
In December, Liverpool's talisman secured a point against a plucky Hull City at Anfield. The Tigers raced into a shock two-goal lead, but Gerrard was at his dynamic best to fire twice in eight minutes to level the scoreline.
Watch the best bits from Stevie G's season>>
Later in the same month, the Huyton Hammer was in sensational form as Rafa Benitez's men thumped Newcastle United 5-1 at St James' Park, with Gerrard finding the back of the net twice.
The captain scored a goal in both of the Reds' Anfield clashes with Everton in January, but his season was disrupted with a groin injury sustained against the Blues.
He returned in March as hungry as ever and was in breathtaking form as Liverpool crushed Real Madrid and Manchester United in the space of four days.
Gerrard bagged a brace against the La Liga giants in a 4-0 rout, before the Reds silenced Old Trafford with an incredible 4-1 success. Our skipper scored a pressure penalty just before the break to help the club to arguably its best league win in living memory.
Next he took his tally to six in three games by scoring a first Premier League hat-trick against Aston Villa at Anfield.
A brace of goals versus West Ham in early May saw him move beyond St John in the Anfield record books prior to claiming the opening goal against West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Such was his form in 08-09, the legendary Zinedine Zidane described Gerrard as the "best player in the world" - a statement no Kopite will disagree with.
The captain beat Xabi Alonso (35 per cent) into second, followed by Dirk Kuyt (six per cent), Yossi Benayoun (three per cent) and Sami Hyypia (three per cent).
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