This time it didn’t go over, it went in

"It's about time the lads let me take a free kick. I've been in the first team eight years now and they've never let me take them because they always go over. I managed to catch one right today, but the most important thing was three points." (Steven Gerrard on the sweetly struck free kick against Aston Villa last Saturday)

It took him about eight games to score his first goal last season. This time, it took him about 87 minutes.

The win also highlighted the fact that the manager is also learning how to play in the EPL. His changed mindset - from having an attack oriented team to not putting in too many new signings for the very first away game to playing without a holding midfielder - all indicated that this season Liverpool are better prepared to be in the leading pack.

And in case you missed Gerrard freekick, here it is, courtesy of YouTube: