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PFA Players' Player of the Year 2006: Steven Gerrard

PFA Players' Player of the Year 2006: Steven Gerrard
© Reuters
The Liverpool favourite made the right impression.

Steven Gerrard had some making up to do with Liverpool fans after the summer of 2005.

The euphoria of that magical Champions League final in Istanbul soon wore off as contract negotiations between Liverpool and their captain broke down.

Fans gathered outside Anfield to burn Gerrard shirts after club chief executive Rick Parry announced he had rejected a new deal and was close to leaving.

Soccer – FA Barclays Premiership – Liverpool v Aston Villa – Anfield
Gerrard scored twice in a win over Aston Villa (Nick Potts/PA)

Twenty-four hours later, amid much backtracking, Gerrard had signed a new four-year deal but still had much work to do to reconnect with the Kop.

But his performances over the next season would pretty much do the job.

Liverpool's season began early – on July 13 – as they had to go through qualifying to defend their Champions League title but, inspired by their skipper, they maintained a relentless pace.

Gerrard topped Liverpool's goalscoring charts, scoring 23 goals in 53 appearances as the Reds finished third in the Premier League, nine points behind Chelsea, and lifted the FA Cup, with Gerrard scoring twice in a 3-3 draw before Liverpool beat West Ham in a penalty shoot-out.

Before that day – widely remembered as 'The Gerrard Final' – the 25-year-old's performances saw him become the first Liverpool player since John Barnes in 1988 to be voted the PFA Player of the Year.

Gerrard would win only one further trophy with Liverpool, the League Cup in 2012, but when he left Anfield to join the LA Galaxy in the summer of 2015 he did so recognised as one of the greatest players of his generation, and as one of Liverpool's best.

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rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29271166214582
2Manchester CityMan City28183768313757
3Leicester CityLeicester29165858283053
4Chelsea29146951391248
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd29129844301445
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves29101364134743
7Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd28111073025543
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs29118104740741
9Arsenal2891364036440
10Burnley29116123440-639
11Crystal Palace29109102632-639
12Everton29107123746-937
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2998122541-1635
14Southampton29104153552-1734
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29611123240-829
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2976163550-1527
17Watford2969142744-1727
18Bournemouth2976162947-1827
19Aston Villa2874173456-2225
20Norwich CityNorwich2956182552-2721

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