Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard returns to Old Trafford for the first time since he was a Liverpool player this evening.
Any ardent Liverpool fan will know that Steven Gerrard once turned down Manchester United.
He was still a child at that point. Gerrard instead went onto become one of Liverpool's most iconic players. A captain who won the Champions League and FA Cup in dramatic fashion. He never won the Premier League with Liverpool and his detractors will say he should have left to do so.
That infamous slip against Chelsea likely prevented him from completing a full trophy cabinet.
Gerrard was a big moment player. He had positive and negative moments, especially against Manchester United. The passion he played with and the desire he had to beat Liverpool's biggest rivals only heightened the entertainment value of Gerrard vs. Old Trafford or Gerrard defending Anfield.
Tonight a new chapter of this story begins as Gerrard returns to Old Trafford as the manager of Aston Villa.
Aston Villa are more than capable of beating Manchester United in their current form. So Gerrard has a chance to add to his legacy in a positive manner for onlooking Liverpool fans. Ahead of that game, we take a look at some of Gerrard's biggest moments against the home side as a player.
38 seconds to go
In 2015, Gerrard was no longer a full-time starter and primary player for Liverpool. But Brendan Rodgers still relied on him in big moments. Liverpool struggled that season and finished outside the top four. Amongst those struggles was a home loss to Manchester United.
Gerrard came off the bench in the hopes of turning the game around but bizarrely lashed out at Ander Herrera to get sent off after coming onto the field just 38 seconds prior.
Penalty hits and miss
Gerrard came closest to winning the Premier League in 2014. He enjoyed a 3-0 win at Old Trafford that season as Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge pulled Manchester United's defence apart in a way that hadn't been seen too often prior. It's been seen a lot since.
The Liverpool captain scored two penalties. He hit the post with a third.
Gerrard got the three points and a 3-0 win, but he definitely felt some melancholy missing out on the hattrick.
The Spanish connection
Liverpool beat Manchester United 4-1 during the 2008/09 season. It was definitely the most emphatic victory that Gerrard enjoyed against his greatest rival. Fernando Torres was a doubt for the game, but started. He didn't look hurt at all as he ran the United defence ragged.
Gerrard was in sublime form also, connecting with his Spanish teammate to create opportunities over and over again.
The Liverpool captain played with plenty of high-quality players during his career. His connection with Torres was unrivaled though. Michael Owen in theory should have been Gerrard's greatest teammate since they came up at a similar time and he was the perfect attacker to complement Gerrard's passing, but Owen left. Gerrard had his greatest individual success when he played in the hole behind Torres.
During his career he showed great versatility to play on the right wing, in central midfield, in the hole and even left midfield for England on occasion. Had he spent his whole career as a #10 it might have maximized his potential.
A young rifle
Whether it's Olympiacos in the Champions League or West Ham in the FA Cup, Steven Gerrard has plenty of screamers to point to from his career. In 2001, he was still establishing himself as a Premier League player. This long range effort against Manchester United caught the eye of every onlooker.
Gerrard was just 21 years of age at the time
He'll be hoping to get a similar start to his managerial career against Manchester United with Aston Villa this evening.
One January transfer for each Premier League team
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