SOCCER:AT THE Lounge Inn in Southport yesterday, there were one or two telltale signs of the incident that led to the arrest of England footballer and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard several hours before.

A high-powered sports car - owned, it is thought, by the player - was still parked outside, with a ticket slapped on the frost-covered windscreen.

Inside the bar and restaurant, it was easy for onlookers to make out the mess. On a table near the window were smashed drinks glasses. Drops of blood were splattered beneath a bar stool - evidence, perhaps, for the four detectives who turned up later.

Quite what happened, to whom and how, was still unclear last night, but by early yesterday evening Gerrard was still in police custody, more than 12 hours after he was picked up by police after a night out to celebrate his team's comprehensive defeat of Newcastle United on Sunday.

According to police, Gerrard was being questioned on suspicion of assault, the alleged victim likely to be a DJ who was spending the evening at the Lounge Inn, a favoured nightspot for celebrities in the genteel seaside town.

One report suggested Gerrard and a group of his friends were involved in some sort of altercation after the man refused to allow the midfielder to play his favourite songs on the sound system.

But neither the police nor Gerrard's football club were prepared to give any details of the fracas that led to a man being taken to hospital for treatment for cuts to his face. It was also reported that the injured man had lost a tooth.

A spokesman for Merseyside police confirmed the force was investigating an assault that took place at 2.30am yesterday. A statement read: "Six men were arrested on suspicion of section 20 assault on Lord Street. The men, four aged 33, 31, 29 and 19, who all come from the Huyton area, a 28-year-old man from Formby and a 18-year-old man from Litherland remain in police custody." The police added: "A 34-year-old man from Southport was taken to hospital with facial injuries."

Gerrard's wife, the model Alex Curran, 26, left a coffee shop close to the police station in Southport, but remained silent about her husband's whereabouts.

The timing of the incident could not come at a worse time for Liverpool. The club has a real chance of winning the Premier League - it hasn't claimed the title in 19 years.

On Sunday Gerrard was the club's star player in a victory over Newcastle and in interviews after the game he said the club were genuine contenders.

His detention by Merseyside police yesterday is a distraction manager Rafael Benitez needs as much as another kidney stone.

"Remain humble, keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard" were Gerrard's words as he left St James' Park after scoring twice in Liverpool's 5-1 win.

They sounded hollow when news of his arrest emerged and a calendar year of giant strides on the pitch and major tremors off it for Liverpool received a depressingly suitable finale.

The Lounge Inn is situated in a wealthy area of Southport, off the main shopping thoroughfare of Lord Street with its wrought iron Victorian shopfronts.

The sister of the Lounge Inn's co-owner, Dario Curcillo, said: "As far as I know he comes here regularly and it was just a normal night at the bar. I don't know anything about what happened last night." She said her brother was unavailable for comment.

Gerrard, who grew up on Huyton's Bluebell estate, has been capped 70 times for England and has captained his country four times. He was made an MBE last year and an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.

What will have pained Benitez most is that the distraction from Liverpool's outstanding show on Tyneside and their growing credibility as a title-winning team should come from a player he trusted implicitly.

It may be a slight consolation to the Spaniard that Gerrard's arrest did not impinge on his professional workload. Liverpool's first-team squad were given a belated two-day Christmas holiday after the Newcastle game.

Although the wisdom of a high-profile England international staying out on the town until 2.30am is always open to question, Gerrard is not due back in training until tomorrow morning and is one of the key players Benitez is considering resting in the FA Cup third-round tie at Preston North End on Saturday evening.

Gerrard's nocturnal habits have not been an issue since he was hauled over the coals by Gerard Houllier early in his career.

"If his mates want to go to a nightclub, let them. By the time he has finished he can buy one of his own," the former Liverpool manager famously remarked.