07 January,2015 07:38 AM IST | | PA Sport
Steven Gerrard's long goodbye began by saving Liverpool's blushes as AFC Wimbledon threatened an upset akin to the 1988 FA Cup final
Steven Gerrard celebrates after scoring vs Wimbledon
Kingston Upon Thames: Steven Gerrard's long goodbye began by saving Liverpool's blushes as AFC Wimbledon threatened an upset akin to the 1988 FA Cup final.
Steven Gerrard celebrates after scoring vs Wimbledon
This third-round tie was the first match since the 34-year-old announced he will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season, with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States beckoning.
Winning a third FA Cup on what will be his 35th birthday would certainly be a fitting end to Gerrard's time with the Reds, who he helped secure a 2-1 win against Wimbledon with goals either side of an Adebayo Akinfenwa strike.
The giant striker's leveller for League Two side allowed fans to dream of an upset. However, it was a tie which looked to only be going one way as Gerrard put the visitors ahead with a lovely header.
Rather than take the sting out of the tie, though, it sprung the hosts into life, with Wimbledon netting a deserved leveller through Akinfenwa.
However, Gerrard, like so many times before, dragged Liverpool up by the coat-tails and brilliantly curled home a 22-yard free-kick - what proved the decisive goal.
