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Gerrard jokes about infamous Liverpool title slip after Aston Villa stars suffer similar fate

Steven Gerrard is able to joke about his infamous slip that contributed towards Liverpool missing out on the Premier League title in 2014, with the former Reds captain seeing two players at Aston Villa suffer a similar fate in their latest game.

The repercussions for John McGinn and Ezri Konsa, who lost their footing before conceding a goal against Wolves, were not as serious as they were for their manager, but they still contributed to a derby defeat against West Midlands rivals.

Gerrard admits he is in no position to point fingers after seeing a couple of Villans hit the deck in the build-up to Jonny’s opener at Molineux on Saturday, with the ex-England skipper able to smile when discussing their misfortune.

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What has been said?

"Any complaints or finger-pointing from me would be cheap," Gerrard, whose slip eight years ago allowed Demba Ba to put a serious dent in Liverpool’s title dreams, told reporters after a 2-1 defeat for Villa.

"It might have been down to the pitch, it could’ve been down to studs but the reality is we gifted a team a goal on the back of it. It had a big impact on us."

The bigger picture

While Gerrard was wary of digging his players out, he does need to find a way of eradicating such mishaps from his side.

Villa have now suffered three successive defeats in the Premier League to leave them 10th and with questions being asked of whether value for money is being found in some elaborate recent recruitment.

Gerrard added: “The league doesn’t lie. At the moment there's a gap to the teams above us and that showed in the first half. My staff all know where we are strong and where we need support, whether that be an individual area or a certain unit in the team.

"What the owners have done for this club has been phenomenal in terms of the support, the backing. I don't think they'll change because of the dealings I've had and the communication I've had, they’re very ambitious and they want to win football matches, like myself.

"The players in the building have got to help me fix it right now and if not, we’ll get players to help me fix it. We can’t keep giving sloppy goals away and gifts because since I’ve been in the building I can’t remember a gift we’ve been given.”

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