Steven Gerrard’s long goodbye began by saving Liverpool with his brace as AFC Wimbledon threatened an upset akin to the 1988 FA Cup final. PHOTO: AFP
In the night’s other Cup match, Premier League strugglers Burnley fought back from a goal down at Turf Moor to draw 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur and force a replay to decide who then takes on Leicester City.
Liverpool will move on to play second tier Bolton Wanderers in the next round but only after living dangerously, with their determined League Two opponents looking far from overawed.
“That was a very tough game,” Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told the BBC. “We lost our shape and presented them with chances by giving the ball away. We had to defend right through to the end.”
Gerrard, in his first match since announcing his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, had headed the opener in the 12th minute as Liverpool looked set for a comfortable win. But the match at Kingsmeadow, reviving memories of 1988 when the original Wimbledon ‘Crazy Gang’ beat Liverpool in a hard-tackling final at Wembley, refused to follow the script.
Lifelong Liverpool fan Adebayo Akinfenwa, a stocky striker nicknamed ‘The Beast’, had the home fans dreaming when he poked in a 36th minute equaliser from close range after some woeful defending by the Merseysiders.
The hefty 32-year-old, who has played for 11 clubs in a journeyman career around the lower leagues, was perfectly placed to cash in after the ball bounced back off the bar following a goalmouth scramble. With a major upset looking possible, and Wimbledon missing several clear chances, Gerrard settled nerves with a curling free kick into the top corner in the 62nd minute.
“I always enjoy the FA Cup, I grew up loving the competition. It’s going to be my last time and I want to make the most of it and try and go all the way,” the midfielder, who turns 35 on Cup final day, told the BBC.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2015.
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