Steven Gerrard admits his team "full of sadness" as Jordan Henderson upstaged
Former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho upstaged ex-team-mate Jordan Henderson to leave Steven Gerrard's dressing room "full of sadness" following their reunion in Saudi Arabia.
Henderson's Al Ettifaq - managed by Gerrard - threw away a 1-0 lead at home to reigning champions Al-Ittihad on Friday, with Fabinho assisting Abderrazak Hamdallah for the crucial equaliser in the second half. While the match was a tight affair, Liverpool legend Gerrard was gutted with just a point, admitting: "The dressing room was full of sadness on my players' faces because of the draw.
"We're disappointed with the result, we were closer to getting the three points." Gerrard explained when asked about his decision to not make a single substitution throughout the entire game: "No player deserved to be changed to be honest. That's why we didn't use the bench."
Not only were Henderson and Fabinho strutting their stuff in front a bumper 12,334-strong crowd, a huge uptick on recent attendances, fellow former Reds midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum was also in midfield for Al Ettifaq. Gerrard acquired the Dutchman's services from Paris Saint-Germain this summer and he scored the opening goal in Dammam as well as picking up the man of the match award.
His first-half strike meant that Al Ettifaq went into half-time boasting a 1-0 lead, but within nine minutes of the restart the visitors were level through Hamdallah. As the game finished all square, Al Ittihad remained two points clear of Gerrard's side.
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Post-match, Henderson kept himself in good spirits and shared a selfie sitting next to Fabinho and Wijnaldum on Instagram. The ex-Liverpool captain wrote alongside it: "Reunited," and added a smiling emoji and red love heart.
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Henderson is hoping to be smiling on the pitch sooner rather than later, as Al Ettifaq are currently on a miserable run of one win in eight games. That sole victory came against Al Wehda, as former Premier League winger Demarai Gray bagged a dramatic 98th-minute winner after Wijnaldum had already snatched a late equaliser.
Gerrard's side next face strugglers Al Akhdoud away from home and will be expected to claim all three points. Should they not, then the Anfield icon's position could come into question, with plenty of coaches lining themselves up for a job in the Middle East as the Saudi Pro League grows.
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