“I sat in the back of the car and felt the tears rolling down my face. I hadn’t cried for years but, on the way home, I couldn’t stop,” wrote Gerrard.
Demba ba enjoyed a nomadic professional football career spanning over 15 years in Belgium, Germany, England, Turkey, China and Switzerland.
He scored a lot of goals and won many titles in the process. However, no matter what Ba has achieved in his career, the Senegalese striker will always be remembered for one of the simplest goals he ever score against Liverpool at Anfield.
Demba Ba of Chelsea scores a goal to make it 0-1 past Simon Mignolet of Liverpool (Photo by Matthew Ashton/AMA/AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
After their narrow win against Manchester City. The title was Liverpool’s own to lose and so, Liverpool hero and captain, desperate to celebrate a league title with his boyhood club, gave his teammate’s a piece of priceless advice that comes back to hurt him anyway.
“We don’t let this slip, we go again!” Gerrard cried to his teammates in the post-match huddle.
27th April 2014, On a day that if Liverpool claimed three points against Chelsea, they were one step closer to clinching the Premier League for the first-time.
But Jose Mourinho’s men came determined to produce a result to silence the home crowd at Anfield.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were 16 games unbeaten in the Premier League and five points clear of Chelsea in second ahead of the meeting.
The pressure was on Liverpool. All eyes were on Brendan Rodgers’ side – nothing on Chelsea.
The game remained in the balance on the stroke of half-time, until Steven Gerrard slipped – a day to forget for the Reds captain.
Defender Mamadou Sakho played a simple ball across to Gerrard, but he failed to control the oncoming ball and slipped which saw Demba Ba race in on goal to slot past Simon Mignolet to hand Chelsea the lead.
Gerrard slip to give Demba ba the lead.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 27: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Demba Ba of Chelsea scores to make it 0-1 during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on April 27, 2014 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Anfield was stunned. Liverpool were shocked. But Demba ba was running towards the stand. Mourinho was not surprised. He was waiting for such moment.
Jose Mourinho keeps the ball despite the efforts of Steven Gerrard during the Liverpool versus Chelsea Barclays FA Premier League match at Anfield on April 27th 2014 in Liverpool (Photo by Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)
Chelsea remained resolute in the second-half and finish the game in stoppage as former Red Fernando Torres squared it to Willian, for the Brazilian to tap into an empty net in front of a jubilant away section.
It was the start of the end for Liverpool,as they went onto squander a 3-0 lead against Crystal Palace to hand Manchester City the Premier League.
Ba only spent a season and a half struggling for regular football at Chelsea, leaving for Besiktas in July 2014 when Mourinho signed Diego Costa, and didn’t score again for the club after his infamous goal against Liverpool.
However, he has ensured that he is immortalised in Premier League history as a result.
Gerrard revealed his emotions following the damaging defeat to the Blues in his autobiography ‘My Story’ in 2015.
“I sat in the back of the car and felt the tears rolling down my face. I hadn’t cried for years but, on the way home, I couldn’t stop,” wrote Gerrard.
Dejected Steven Gerrard after the first Chelsea goal during the Liverpool versus Chelsea Barclays FA Premier League match at Anfield on April 27th 2014 in Liverpool (Photo by Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)
“The tears kept coming. I can’t even tell you if the streets were thick with traffic or as empty as I was on the inside. It was killing me.
“I felt numb, like I had lost someone in my family. It was as if my whole quarter of a century at this football club poured out of me. I did not even try to stem the silent tears as the events of the afternoon played over and over again in my head.”
A day to forget for Liverpool. But for Demba ba, and the rest of the footballing world – a day to remember..
Speaking to the Athletic, Ba was asked whether he feels sorry for the former Liverpool captain
Ba replied: “No, not really. Because that’s the game. You make errors and others take advantage. What Steven Gerrard has done for the world of football is tremendous. But this is life, unfortunately. Not all stories can end in fairytales.” He told https://www.google.com/amp/s/theathletic.com/news/ba-on-goal-after-gerrard-slip-not-all-stories-can-end-in-fairytales/3FwR1fz0WOTK/%3famp=1