Aston Villa boss and Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard responds to thunderous boos on his Old Trafford return by staring down the Stretford End as he walks to the dugout before FA Cup clash against Man United
- Steven Gerrard was greeted by thunderous boos on his return to Old Trafford
- It was Gerrard’s first time facing Manchester United in his managerial career
- As the Villa boss walked to his dugout, the home support jeered the Reds icon
- But in response, Gerrard turned to face the Stretford End and stared it down
Steven Gerrard showed he was completely unfazed by the torrent of boos aimed at him on his return to Old Trafford by staring down the Stretford End on his way to the dugout for Aston Villa’s FA Cup clash with Manchester United.
Gerrard, who has experienced some of his career highs and lows as a player at the Threatre of Dreams for United’s arch-rivals Liverpool as a player, made his return to the ground for the first time since January 2015 – and he got a hostile reception for his troubles.
As the Reds legend made his way to the dugout to take his seat for the third-round clash on Monday, thunderous boos rang out around Old Trafford aimed solely in his direction.
Steven Gerrard stared down the Stretford End his return to Old Trafford on Monday
As the Aston Villa boss walked to his dugout, the home support jeered the Liverpool legend
Completely unfazed, Gerrard stared down the Stretford End before the FA Cup clash began
But never one to back down from an indimidating atmosphere, Gerrard decided to face the baying crowd head on by deliberately turning towards the Stretford End – which houses some of United’s more hardcore contingent – and staring them down while walking backwards.
While Gerrard saw his Villa side dumped out of the FA Cup courtesy of an early winner from Scott McTominay, the Liverpool legend couldn’t resist taking a cheeky dig at the crowd after the game.
‘Relatively quiet! I have been to noisier stadiums than this,’ Gerrard told the BBC when asked about his welcome after the match.
‘It was a good cup tie, a good atmosphere but in terms of what I got, water off a duck’s back.’
It was Gerrard’s first time facing Manchester United in his managerial career
Gerrard cheekily said the Old Trafford crowd were ‘relatively quiet’ on his return to the ground
Gerrard will be pleased with his side’s display but will have rued a few missed opportunities to dump Ralf Rangnick’s team out of the FA Cup.
Villa had two second-half goals ruled out, the first after a lengthy video assistant referee review, but United also had some opportunities to put the game to bed earlier.
United will now go on to host Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the competition, while Gerrard will get the chance to silence those United fans when they make the trip to Villa Park on Saturday for their Premier League clash.
