CARSON, Calif. – Steven Gerrard made the most of his limited minutes with a goal to seal the LA Galaxy’s 4-2 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday evening.
A week after being felled by a groin injury, Gerrard returned to the gameday roster on Sunday but was given just 30 minutes by head coach Bruce Arena, who opted to ease his 35-year-old midfielder back into the swing of things.
The opening 20 minutes were less than ideal for the veteran midfielder as the Revolution added two goals in quick succession after Gerrard replaced Robbie Keane in the 60th minute. However, Gerrard and the Galaxy righted the ship in stoppage time with a silky smooth goal from the Englishman to stop the Revolution’s rally.
“It was not [going well] at the beginning. I was thinking, ‘is this all my fault?’” Gerrard said. “It didn’t go well, the 30 minutes when I came on they came back into the game. They were showing an awful amount of more energy than us at the time. It was nice at the end to finish the game off and a good three points for us.”
Although Gerrard went just 30 minutes against New England, the midfielder expects much more time on the pitch when the Galaxy return to action on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union.
“Physically I am fine. I probably could have played a bit longer but Bruce [Arena] obviously thinking further down the line,” Gerrard said. “We have a game coming up in 72 hours, so I think it was sensible to just play 30 today and be available to more minutes come Wednesday.”
