Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said his players were “overwhelmed” after Al Etifaq were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Ittihad last weekend. Al-Ettifaq, whose squad includes former Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum, were greeted by a crowd of less than 700 against the reigning Saudi Arabian Pro League champions.
I have collected 12,300 fans. It was another win for Gerrard’s side, who have drawn their last three games and extended their unbeaten run to four games. Wijnaldum opened the scoring before the break with a quick effort to score his fifth goal of the season.
Against Wijnaldum and Henderson, Fabinho was his former partner in red midfield. It is the first time the three have played in the same stadium since moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer. And Fabinho became a thorn in the side of Gerrard, Henderson and Wijnaldum when he assisted Abderrazak Hamdallah for Al Ittihad’s equalizer in the ninth minute of the second half. Because of the draw, the faces of the players were filled with sadness in the locker room. Gerrard began. “We are satisfied with the results.
We came close to three points.”Honestly, no player deserves to be replaced. “So we didn’t use that spot in this game.”Since taking over at Al Etifa, Gerrard has won six of his 14 league games. His side are seventh in the Saudi Arabian Pro League standings, 15 points behind leaders Al Hilal, while Al Ittihad have moved up to fourth, behind At Ta’aoun on goal difference.
