Gone in 38 seconds: Steven Gerrard’s sending off against Manchester United sets Twitter on fire

Image courtesy: Twitter
Saket Parekar Saket Parekar folomojo staff

Football’s biggest and the most anticipated fixture took place on Sunday night in Barcelona. But hours before the sport’s biggest superstars took the field at Camp Nou, another highly anticipated fixture was set to kick off in England as Manchester United travelled to face their biggest traditional rivals at Anfield.

United won that game 2-1, thanks to two spectacular goals from Juan Mata. But the real headline-maker of the day was Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who came on as a substitute in second half, only to be sent off after just 38 seconds on the pitch.

Right after the restart, Gerrard made a strong tackle to steal the ball away from Juan Mata. But seconds later, he found himself at the receiving end as United midfielder Ander Herrera made a similar, strong tackle to retain the ball. Gerrard got rid of the ball just in time, but after doing so, he inexplicably stamped on Herrera’s foot.

The referee had a good view of the incident and promptly took out the red card to send the former Liverpool skipper off, in certainly his last outing against the Red Devils.

Here’s the tackle that turned the game around

United soon doubled their lead against 10-man Liverpool, and although Daniel Sturridge pulled one back for the hosts late on, Gerrard’s sending off had pretty much sealed their fate.

Football can be a cruel sport. Steven Gerrard, who is on his way to the MLS next season, was handed a golden opportunity to inspire his team to a victory against their arch-rivals and bring the curtain down on an illustrious career at a club where he has become a cult figure over the years.

However, one moment of madness resulted in an ungraceful exit from the field, and eventually a defeat that could ultimately cost his team a place in the Champions League next season.

And how could such an unforgettable incident in such a high-profile game fail to attract the attention of the social media? Twitter soon exploded with reactions in the form of gifs, memes and vines that made the most of Gerrard’s misery. Here are the best of the lot.

1. Let’s first start with the heat map

2. Steven revolving Gerrard

3. A quick exit

4. Those who lasted longer

5. Including this guy

6. Looks like he didn’t hear the full message

Capture1
Source: Twitter

7. More heatmaps

8. No end to the list of people who spent more time on the pitch

9. A chance for United fans to rub salt on the wounds

10. At least we know where he was headed to

11. A cruel comedy

12. Gone in a flash

13. Even Arsenal fans couldn’t resist the temptation to join the action

14. Why always him?

15. He doesn’t waste his time

16. The best of the lot

17. This is exactly how it happened

18. No exaggeration

19. The Zizou moment

20. More laughs for the Devils

21. Brendon’s not happy

22. LVG’s responses are short and sweet

23. Simpsons serve so many purposes

24. One of Gerrard’s most forgettable outings

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Source: Twitter

25. Isn’t it ironic that Suarez went on to score the winner in El Clasico later that night?

26. I hear you, loud and clear.