“He sent a GIF of Gerrard slipping” - Neal Maupay recounts hilarious story involving Ivan Toney and former Liverpool captain
Brentford forward Neal Maupay recently recalled a hilarious story involving teammate Ivan Toney and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.
Toney has been linked with a move to top Premier League sides like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea in the upcoming summer transfer window.
After spending three great seasons at Brentford, accruing 68 goals and 21 assists in 124 games, he was banned for eight months for his breaches of football betting rules. He made his return in January 2024 and has bagged four goals and an assist in 13 Premier League appearances since then.
In the absence of Ivan Toney, Maupay stepped up to become the Bees' starting striker and has netted six goals and added three assists in 28 league games (14 starts).
Bees manager Thomas Frank and Neal Maupay were in conversation with Sky Sports presenter Adam Smith this week. Frank asked the French forward to recall the incident, which took place after his side's 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
In that game, City were on a counterattack with Norwegian defender Kristoffer Ajer left to defend against superstar national compatriot Erling Haaland. Ajer slipped, allowing Haaland a clear path towards goal, and the 23-year-old slotted it past keeper Mark Flekken.
Apparently, after the incident, English marksman Toney is said to have sent a video of Steven Gerrard's iconic slip against Chelsea that cost Liverpool the league title.
Recalling the incident, Maupay said:
"Kris[toffer] Ajer was really playing a very good game... Ball went through, he was 1v1 with Haaland but we [Brentford] had control and Kris slipped... Haaland just went through, 'Thank you very much', and scored... After the game, Ivan [Toney], in the WhatsApp group, sent the Steven Gerrard slipping GIF tagging Kris Ajer in the group chat (laughs)."
When Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard slipped and lost the title to Manchester City 10 years ago today
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's infamous slip happened exactly 10 years ago to this date, starting a domino effect that cost Liverpool the 2013-14 Premier League title.
The Reds were on a 16-game unbeaten streak, with wins in the last 11 straight games, including a 3-2 result against eventual champions Manchester City. They were five points clear at the top of the table, but faced a mighty task against second-placed Chelsea, albeit at their Anfield fortress.
With the game nearing half-time and the scoreline still tied at 0-0, Gerrard slipped while trying to control a standard pass from center-back Mamadou Sakho. This allowed the ball to roll onto Demba Ba, who buried his shot past keeper Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool went on to lose the game 0-2, allowing Manchester City to take over the title race. They eventually lost the title by two points, prolonging their wait for their first-ever Premier League title in the modern era.
Liverpool got their redemption under Jurgen Klopp, as the legendary German led them to the 2019-20 title - their first league title in 30 years.