English FA Premiership/Liverpool 3-1 Aston Villa: So much has gone so wrong so quickly for Sven-Goran Eriksson that the effervescence offered by one man on Merseyside may have struggled to pierce the gloom enveloping the England manager.
Last summer, the fear was Steven Gerrard might have to crawl through the lap of honour at the end of the campaign with energy long since spent and mind exhausted. Instead, predictably, the captain led the parade having hauled his side through the end-of-season stodge.
The watching world should have expected nothing else. This was Gerrard's 51st club appearance of term, a season, which began on July 13th, laced with performances as staggering as this. The hosts were largely sluggish on Saturday, an early goal taken smartly by Fernando Morientes prompting complacency.
Yet, all it took to spark the England midfielder was the hint of an Aston Villa revival, with a stunning brace duly securing a 10th successive victory and, at 48, Liverpool's highest points tally from Anfield in a 38-game campaign.
It said everything about Gerrard's display that even Rafael Benitez, never one to hail the individual over the collective, spoke of the 25-year-old establishing himself in Germany "as the best midfield player in the world".
His goals here swelled his tally to 21 and, though seven of those were plundered in qualifying for the Champions League against sub-standard opposition, that still represents the highest total from a midfielder since the conception of the Premier League. A near-post flick with the inside of his left foot, then a searing 30-yard shot with his right, offered an indication of what he offers.
Not since John Barnes have Liverpool boasted a midfielder this prolific, which makes Eriksson's insistence on using Gerrard as an anchor all the more remarkable. "As a midfielder your main target at the beginning of the season is to get to double figures, but I did that quite early and Rafa said he wanted 25," said Gerrard. "I've got two games to get four goals or I'm a failure . . . We're showing 'winning the league' form.
"We've had the odd slip up this season and, if we can cut them out of our game next season, we'll be back in the title race."
Victory hoisted Liverpool level with United before Alex Ferguson's side play Middlesbrough this evening, though, Gerrard aside, there was a distinctly subdued feel to this display. Morientes, fed by Xabi Alonso, had slipped them ahead and Villa's porous defence might have been breached at will. Yet, while the travelling supporters bellowed "We want O'Leary out" and a banner proclaiming "O'Leary for England" flitted up and down their ranks, the visitors survived, then flourished on the counter.
Gareth Barry might have converted James Milner's first-half centre before Juan Pablo Angel and Aaron Hughes exchanged passes and the full back crossed for Barry to convert at the far post. The lively Gabriel Agbonlahor might even have eased them ahead before Gerrard, livid at the sudden sloppiness, burst Villa's optimism and put the focus back on O'Leary.
His future at the club remains in serious doubt, Villa having budgeted to finish 12th at worst rather than their current 16th.
The manager was explaining after the match how his squad will be back for pre-season training on July 10th, the day after the World Cup final, when his chairman Doug Ellis pottered inadvertently in. Ellis preferred not to comment. Will O'Leary be taking that first training session? "Take a good bet on that," offered the Irishman optimistically.
