Did Steven Gerrard ever win the Premier League? How Aston Villa could hand Liverpool title by beating Man City

Steven Gerrard. Philippe Coutinho. Danny Ings. Your old team need one helluva favour.

And while Liverpool are dreaming of a Coutinho or Ings winner at the Etihad on Sunday, the man who must orchestrate this most unlikely of outcomes is the man who saw the Premier League title evade him for 17 seasons as a player at Anfield.

It is an association that will never subside. Gerrard and Liverpool will forever be entwined, and though he insisted the Aston Villa role is no “stepping stone” when taking the reins in November, few doubt their paths will cross again, be it as Jurgen Klopp’s eventual replacement or a few years after when the post-Klopp era has smoothed out a little and the statue is (probably) in place.

Gerrard’s credentials will be determined by his stint in the Midlands, and while a first full season awaits, he is looking to end this campaign on a high with a 10th-placed finish the best Villa can hope for.

He has stressed multiple times this week that “three points” is the order of the day, and while that would just so happen to help his former side, he insists his focus is on making Villa’s fans “proud” and ensuring they do not finish as low as 14th again.

Gerrard’s 3 nearly moments at Liverpool

1. A glittering 2001 saw Liverpool win the FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Cup, Community Shield and Super Cup, but they fell short in the 2001-02 season. An 80-point haul was their best for 14 years, but it was only enough for second behind Arsenal – the first of three occasions Gerrard would finish a runner-up.

2. The second occasion came in the 2008-09 season, where Liverpool were top at Christmas but relinquished their lead to Manchester United after a run of seven draws in 10 league games. Liverpool hit their stride again but, despite winning 4-1 at Old Trafford in March, finished on 86 points, four behind United.

3. Few need reminding of how the 2013-14 season played out, as after a run of 11 straight games catapulted them from fourth to first, Gerrard’s costly slip in the defeat to Chelsea gifted Manchester City the advantage before a draw at Crystal Palace in the penultimate fixture left Liverpool chasing a similar scenario to the one they are hoping for on Sunday. Liverpool did their bit by beating Newcastle, but City beat West Ham 2-0 to win their second Premier League title by two points.

Klopp, meanwhile, expects Gerrard to take the game at Manchester City “100 per cent seriously”, but fell short of feeling the need to phone his Villa counterpart, adding: “I don’t have to, probably, the rest of the club did it already but I haven’t.”

Jordan Henderson had previously joked he might give his old captain a call, with the mood on Merseyside more hopeful than expectant, for in truth there is but a modicum of hope for Villa at City. Liverpool fans can cling onto this emotional investment of Gerrard’s and his desire to “fight for everything” and “make it difficult” on Sunday, but Villa have struggled against the bigger sides under his watch, taking four points from a possible 24 against the current top seven.

Aston Villa vs the top seven under Gerrard

• Aston Villa 1-2 Man City
• Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa
• Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea
• Man Utd 1-0 Aston Villa (FA Cup)
• Aston Villa 2-2 Man Utd
• West Ham 2-1 Aston Villa
• Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
• Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham
• Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool

Villa rarely do draws, too, with only Arsenal (3), Tottenham (5) and Watford (5) boasting fewer than their six this season, and while 13 wins have included seven on the road, Villa have lost as many games as Leeds (18), more than Burnley (16), with only Everton (20) and relegated pair Watford (26) and Norwich (25) tasting defeat on more occasions.

Take from that what you will, a near never-say-draw attitude that has those in claret and blue, and also red this weekend, praying for a 1-0 win but fearing a 5-0 drubbing.

There are other threads to follow with Jack Grealish lining up against his old side in pursuit of a first trophy at City, but we can expect plenty of Gerrard dugout shots during Sky Sports’ coverage.

“Let the party begin,” he wrote, when Liverpool ended their 30-year wait two years ago, and make no mistake, even if he does not make his feelings public this time around, he’ll be popping the champagne in private if he can provide the most valuable of assists.

How Villa can help Liverpool win the title

• Liverpool vs Wolves (Sky Sports Premier League), 4pm on Sunday 22 May
• Man City vs Aston Villa (Sky Sports Main Event), 4pm on Sunday 22 May

1. Man City – P37, W28, D6, L3, GD +72, Pts 90
2. Liverpool – P37, W27, D8, L2, GD +66, Pts 89

City hold a one-point lead over Liverpool heading into the final day of the Premier League season, while City’s goal difference of +72 is better than Liverpool’s +66.

If City beat Villa, they have won the title. If City draw, Liverpool must beat Wolves. If City lose, Liverpool would realistically need to win, as a draw with Wolves would only be good enough if Villa can win by a seven-goal margin at the Etihad.