Roy grateful to 'outstanding' Gerrard

05 November 2010 07:03
Roy Hodgson admitted he owed a "debt of gratitude" to Steven Gerrard after his captain's match-winning treble in Liverpool's win over Napoli.[LNB] The Reds were trailing to Ezequiel Lavezzi's 28th-minute goal in a first half devoid of any real quality on their part in the Europa League clash at Anfield.[LNB]However, the arrival of Gerrard after the interval completely turned things around and after a couple of near-misses the England midfielder clicked into gear.[LNB]He latched onto a gift from former Liverpool defender Andrea Dossena, whose interception diverted the ball towards goalkeeper Morgan de Sanctis but not with enough pace to prevent the 30-year-old reaching it first.[LNB]Gerrard then converted a penalty two minutes from time after Glen Johnson was fouled by Salvatore Aronica and he completed his treble with a delicate dink over De Sanctis.[LNB]"It was outstanding," said Hodgson of Gerrard's performance.[LNB]"In the first half we hadn't played that badly and were unlucky to be a goal down to an error which was punished.[LNB]"His entry onto the field was a catalyst, it galvanised the crowd and the team and the way he scored the first goal epitomised the energy and the spirit the team showed in the second half.[LNB]"We owe a big debt of gratitude to him but he will be the first to join me in saying the whole team in the second half gave a good performance.[LNB]"I thought tonight was a real leader's performance - the first goal was not a pretty goal.[LNB]"That was a captain's goal, the goal of a guy who wanted to get his team back in the game even at the risk of injury. That is certainly appreciated by me and my staff."[LNB]All the plaudits naturally went to Gerrard, who was by far the best player on the pitch, but the 30-year-old tried to play down his role.[LNB]"We went a goal down and the manager asked me to come on and see if I could help get the lads back in it," he said.[LNB]"Everyone played their part tonight. I'm sure I'll get the headlines but it certainly wasn't just about me.[LNB]"Every one of the lads in the second half was just fantastic.[LNB]"For the first goal when you're put in that position against a giant of a goalkeeper you've just got to go in and hope for the best.[LNB]"There was no class involved, just determination and desire and I don't think the keeper fancied it."[LNB]Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri complained about French official Fredy Fautrel but also criticised his team for conceding "silly goals".[LNB]"It became increasingly clear in the second half that the referee was happy to whistle for fouls for them and was giving very little to us - this changed the course of the game," he said.[LNB]"But we can't just blame the referee, we were also very naive due to our lack of experience.[LNB]"The first goal was almost like an own goal the way we gave it away and that changed the atmosphere in the stadium. We conceded silly goals."

Source: Team_Talk