Mascherano smitten with super 'Stevie'

Liverpool FC midfielder Javier Mascherano spoke of the joy of playing alongside captain Steven Gerrard after his midfield colleague struck twice to consign Olympique de Marseille to a 2-1 home defeat on opening night in UEFA Champions League Group D.

Stunning goal
Gerrard delivered the first blow when the Reds raced to a 4-0 triumph at the Stade Vélodrome last December, and although this time it was the hosts who opened the scoring – Lorik Cana beating the offside trap after 23 minutes – local celebrations proved short-lived. Just three minutes later, Liverpool's iconic No8 sent a stunning, first-time effort spinning beyond motionless goalkeeper Steve Mandanda from outside the area, and he showed majestic calm to bury from the penalty spot on 32 minutes after being obliged to retake. "What a player," enthused Mascherano. "With a world-class player like Stevie, it's always a joy and you just try to give him responsibility on the pitch."

Injury doubt
Mascherano and his skipper had question marks surrounding their fitness going into the game, and both banished doubts with commanding displays. Gerrard was returning to the starting lineup following a groin operation that restricted him to 22 minutes when the Merseysiders overcame Manchester United FC at the weekend, but his influence here was obvious. "He's very good for us and we can play with confidence when he's there," continued his Argentinian team-mate. "Marseille had four or five players in attack who played very well. They were good at finding space, very quick and it was difficult to contain them, but Stevie made the difference for us."

'He's class'
In the opposition camp, Mathieu Valbuena voiced similar admiration for the 28-year-old. Best known for his own long-range effort that gave OM a famous 1-0 win at Anfield last season, the tricky playmaker possibly recognised better than most the skill involved in Gerrard's first effort. "He's class," commented the Marseille substitute. "When you look at the goal he scored, I think he's the only player around who can put those kinds of chances away. He must have seen Steve off his line. Defensively we were good tonight and it took a penalty and Gerrard's wonder goal to beat us. We lost but we deserved better. We created chances, remained competitive and there were lots of positives."