Replacing Steven Gerrard tough act

Liverpool 2 QPR 1: With just one more Anfield performance to go in a career that marks him down as one of Liverpool’s greats, Steven Gerrard gave another reminder of just how badly he will be missed.

No-one goes on forever and Liverpool have dealt with the departure of legends before. But in their current state of flux, the departure of Gerrard will leave be a big hole to fill when the 34-year-old hands over the captain’s armband for the final time to wind down his career with LA Galaxy.

No longer an automatic choice, Gerrard had been rested for Liverpool’s mid-week trip to Hull for a 1-0 defeat which now looks even more costly following Saturday’s third successive loss for Manchester United, which might have left the door for Champions League qualification tantalisingly open.