Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has been axed as Aston Villa manager barely an hour after his side collapsed to a miserable 3-0 defeat to promoted Fulham.
Villa currently sits 17th, outside the relegation zone only on goals scored, having won just two of their 11 games this season.
Gerrard was in charge for 12 months but won just four of his last 22 matches dating back to last season – despite being well-backed in the transfer window ahead of the new campaign.
The away crowd fiercely booed the former superstar England international at halftime and full-time, while chants continually rained down: “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” and, “Steven Gerrard, get out of our club.”
After the match, Gerrard said of the booing: “It’s tough but I’m a man, I accept it. I understand it.”
“I understand the situation that we’re in. I’m a fighter, I’ve never quit anything … We’ll see what happens.”
However, a club statement said Gerrard had departed the club with immediate effect.
A club spokesman said: “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
Villa suffered a meltdown in the second half after Harrison Reed opened the scoring in the first half when Villa failed to clear a corner.
Just days after signing a big-money new contract, Douglas Luiz was sent off after a VAR review for headbutting Aleksandar Mitrovic, before Matty Cash gave away a penalty for handball, which Mitrovic scored for his eighth league goal of the campaign. A third Villa defender, Tyrone Mings, turned Neeskens Kebano’s cross into his net in the 83rd minute to cap off Gerrard’s nightmare loss.
Fulham had not won in three matches entering the clash, while Villa’s defeat was their second in a row.
Mustapha Hadji
