Wembley was supposed to be the scene for Steven Gerrard’s grand send-off before he moves to new club Los Angeles Galaxy. The final, had Liverpool made it, would have been his last Liverpool game – it even fell on his birthday!
But it didn’t go quite to plan for Gerrard as Aston Villa came from behind to book their place in the FA Cup final with a 2-1 win over Liverpool.
Meanwhile Christian Benteke has hit nine goals in nine games under the new Aston Villa boss. Doubts were raised about his form and fitness after he returned from a ruptured Achilles in October but the Belgium international has answered his critics. He pulled his team level at Wembley and played his part in Fabian Delph’s winner as Villa reached the FA Cup final.
Here’s a look at what went wrong for Gerrard and right for Villa’s Christian Benteke…
Steven Gerrard
RoleÂ
Gerrard started the game in an advanced role behind Raheem Sterling and to the right of Philippe Coutinho in a 3-4-2-1 formation but midway through the first half, Liverpool adjusted their shape to 4-4-1-1, pushing Coutinho wide left and allowing Gerrard to adopt a more central position behind the striker.
Rodgers tweaked Liverpool, and Gerrard’s, shape for a third time at the interval, as the Reds went 4-3-2-1 with Gerrard playing deepest of the midfield three.
Possession
Villa thoroughly deserved that Liverpool were absolutely terrible and Steven Gerrard might as well have not turned up!!
— Adam Richards (@Adam_Richards5) April 19, 2015
The first half largely passed Gerrard by as playing further forward starved him of any sustained spells of possession and Villa crowded out the space in front of their back four to good effect.
Dropping back into central midfield after the interval allowed the Liverpool captain to collect the ball from his defenders but his passing was cautious and occasionally wayward.
Goal threat
Gerrard blazed a long-range effort over the bar shortly after half-time and curled a potentially dangerous free-kick into the hands of Mignolet midway through the second half. He almost snatched a dramatic equaliser with four minutes left, but his header was cleared off the line.
Overall
Brendan Rodgers on Steven Gerrard: "I thought he was excellent today." Wait, what.
— Jack Lusby (@jacklusby_) April 19, 2015
Disappointing. Anonymous in the first half and struggled to dictate possession when moved deeper in the second. Saw a late header cleared off the line. This was far from the fairytale ending Gerrard would have hoped for. The veteran looked confused by the various roles given to him by Rodgers and he failed to thrive in any of them.
Score: 5/10
So Steven Gerrard's birthday falls on the same day as the FA Cup final. What a mint send off it would be if someone could get him a ticket.
— JM (@JM90x) April 19, 2015
Christian Benteke
Link up play
Robbed of his usual partner, the injured Gabriel Agbonlahor, Benteke had Charles N’Zogbia and Jack Grealish for support.
With 19-year-old Grealish flourishing at Wembley he gave Benteke options to dovetail well with the striker. The duo showed their potential for Villa’s winner when Benteke’s smart flick found Grealish to set up Delph to drill in their second goal.
A good understanding between the trio was one of the cornerstones for Villa reaching their first FA Cup final since 2000.
Threat
He underlined his danger and quality with a perfect finish to equalise for Villa which continued his red-hot form for the club. The Belgian offered Villa a focal point and has now scored 10 goals in 2015 for club and country after just nine in the whole of 2014.
He took up good positions, inside and outside of the box, and Martin Skrtel, Emre Can and Dejan Lovren struggled to get to grips with him.
His selfless running allowed Villa to stretch their opponents and he will have been disappointed not to have grabbed another goal in the second half after Alberto Moreno beat him to the ball.
Leadership
#UTV it's that teamwork again – Delph with Grealish & Benteke doing their bit. :-)
— Val Finnegan (@wolri) April 19, 2015
Benteke has found his form when Villa and Sherwood needed it most and has helped drag them out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone and now to an FA Cup final.
Villa often look to Benteke and he did not let them down as he managed to outmanoeuvre the Liverpool defence.
It was noticeable he was helping out in defence when his side needed him to. There is a calmness which surrounds the striker in everything he does.
Big players turn up for the big occasions and Benteke is proving he is Villa’s go-to man.
Overall
The striker has been Villa’s hero since his arrival in 2012 and his impact at Wembley only cements his position in the club’s folklore.
He could do no wrong on a day which Villa hope will lead them from the wilderness after four years of struggle.
Whether Benteke will be around to help them do that remains to be seen with the striker showing the watching world what he is capable of. An FA Cup win could help Villa match Benteke’s ambitions though as they chase their first silverware for 19 years.
Score 9/10
Benteke is in amazing form at the moment!
— Haydn Ramsay (@HaydnRamsay) April 19, 2015
Source: SNAPPA
