Sven-Goran Eriksson has still “got the magic”, says Steven Gerrard, who was reunited with the Swede as Liverpool Legends beat Ajax Legends 4-2 in an emotional charity match at Anfield on Saturday.
Eriksson revealed in January that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, saying he had “at best, a year to live”.
The former England boss subsequently said one of his lifelong dreams was to manage Liverpool at Anfield, having grown up as a supporter of the Reds.
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Liverpool then invited Eriksson to join Ian Rush, John Aldridge and John Barnes on the coaching staff for Liverpool Legends’ game against Ajax Legends, played to raise money for the LFC Foundation and Forever Reds.
A sell-out crowd of 59,655 people packed into Anfield for Saturday’s game, with Eriksson receiving a standing ovation before the Liverpool XI recovered from 2-0 down to win 4-2.
Gerrard, who captained the Liverpool team, heaped praise upon his former international boss after an emotional day on Merseyside, crediting him for the Reds’ fightback.
“He changed everything at half-time, he knew we had no width and we were trying to fit through the middle,” Gerrard said. “He made loads of changes at half-time and gave us more width.
“He’s still got it, he’s still got the magic. He made the difference.
A special Anfield ovation for Sven-Göran Eriksson ❤️ PIC.TWITTER.COM/632Y9UIJQY
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) MARCH 23, 2024
“He was like Rafa [Benitez] at half-time, moving us about, changing the system, giving us more width and we got there in the end. The hairdryer treatment!
“Sven being here today was very special, as soon as I knew he was going to be the gaffer today, I couldn’t wait to come and play with him one last time.”
Derk Boerrigter and Kiki Musampa were on the scoresheet for Ajax, before Gregory Vignal, Djibril Cisse, Nabil El Zhar and Fernando Torres netted for Liverpool.
Speaking to LFCTV after the game, Eriksson said: “A memory for life. Everybody was the winner today.
“It was beautiful, absolutely incredible. Everything from You’ll Never Walk Alone to the rest of the match.
“I think we were the better team even in the first half. You always worry that you’ll lose, but it was a very good first half, an extremely good second half. But the big winners were all of us.”
A great second-half comeback from LFC Legends with Vignal, Cisse, El Zhar and Torres finding the net in a 4-2 victory against Ajax Legends ⚽#AD PIC.TWITTER.COM/T62IVXST2N
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) MARCH 23, 2024
