Liverpool vs AC Milan Legends: Steven Gerrard’s last-minute winner delights Anfield crowd
Liverpool Legends 3-2 AC Milan Glorie: Liverpool’s talisman secured the victory with a vintage half-volley in the game's dying moments
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Your support makes all the difference.As the international break took hold, the ageing heroes returned to Anfield in their hoards as Steven Gerrard thrashed home a last-gasp winner to secure Liverpool Legends a 3-2 victory over AC Milan Glorie.
The game, played with intent, albeit half-speed, started as a stroll for Kenny Dalglish's side, with cumbersome poacher Robbie Fowler giving Liverpool the lead with a wonderful flick off the outside of the boot.
Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and Djibril Cisse all returned for the Reds, and it was the latter who stretched Liverpool's lead to two on the stroke of half-time, breezing past the 52-year-old Alessandro Costacurta before calmly slotting past Dida in the Milan goal.
But then it was the turn of a legend-inundated Milan side, featuring Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Cafu and Gennaro Gattuso, to prance on the stage. After Kaka was scythed down by Daniel Agger on the edge of the box, Pirlo nonchalantly swept a free-kick up and over the wall with little more than a shrug of the shoulders.
Then, with just three minutes remaining, Giuseppe Pancaro curled a deft finish from the edge of the box into the top corner to put the game on tenterhooks.
But, as if scripted by the Kop crowd themselves, Gerrard stormed through the centre of the pitch as the seconds ticked down, shirked off the challenges of two defenders, and drove the ball into the net off the inside of the post. A fitting end to a sun-blushed afternoon touched by fading stardust.
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Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's exhibition match between a Liverpool Legends and AC Milan Glorie.
So here are the teams for today's star-studded legends game.
Liverpool squad: Dudek, Westerveld; Agger, Carragher, Hyypia, Johnson, Kennedy, Kvarme, McAteer, Traore; Berger, Diao, Garcia, Gerrard, McManaman, Smicer; Aldridge, Cisse, Fowler, Kuyt, Owen, Rush
AC Milan squad: Abbiati, Dida, Fiori, Storari; Cafu, Costacurta, Favalli, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Maldini, Nesta, Oddo, Pancaro, Simic; Ambrosini, Carbone, Gattuso, Pirlo, Rui Costa, Serginho; Borriello, Inzaghi, Kaka.
Steven Gerrard leads out Liverpool once more. Massimo Ambrosini captains the Glorie.
A well-inebriated crowd are in full voice at Anfield, and we're underway!
2 min: Gennaro Gattusso flies in on the slide tackle deep in the Liverpool half. It's like he never left.
4 min: There's little in the way of movement coming by way of Robbie Fowler's cumbersome frame up top, so after a dart of pace and through ball from Dirk Kuyt, the Dutchman is greeted by a disbelieving expression. "To feet," Fowler implores.
7 min: Filippo Inzaghi goes for an audacious overhead kick after Cafu breaks down the right wing. The Italian veteran can't quite get his leg up and over though and the ball skews over the bar.
9 min: Djimi Traore comes on for Alan Kennedy who, at 64, wasn't looking for any longer of a cameo. Traore's first act is to slide in on Cafu with a perfectly timed challenge.
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