Having given Liverpool a fright and taken his hero’s shirt, Adebayo Akinfenwa issued a warning that Steven Gerrard must not be allowed to leave Anfield. ‘To lose him, boy, I don’t know the future, but it will be a problem,’ said Akinfenwa, who rattled his beloved Reds with an equaliser for AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup third round before Gerrard won it with a free-kick to fuel the debate about his plans to move to the United States. ‘You can see he was the difference. If he didn’t play, it would have been a different story. He was miles better than anybody on the pitch. Sometimes when you play against people you can just use the word “class”. That’s what it is. Two moments of magic won the game. Steven Gerrard looks on as his free-kick goes over the wall on its way to securing Liverpool a 2-1 victory . Lifelong Liverpool supporter Adebayo Akinfenwa poses with Gerrard's shirt after the game . ‘I’m not trying to blow no smoke up anywhere. I’m saying he is the difference and Liverpool will lose that. I don’t want to see him go. Not just as a Liverpool supporter but as a lover of football. He will be a massive miss.’ Akinfenwa swapped shirts with Gerrard after the final whistle. ‘I just spoke to him quickly,’ he said. ‘I was like: “Look, don’t go, I’m a fan, please don’t go, man”. He just smiled. Nobody can begrudge Steven Gerrard doing what he wants to do. He’s been a legend. If he needs to go to pastures new, so be it. ‘It is down to Liverpool to try to do everything to keep him and get him to stay, but if he has made his mind up, he has made his mind up. All you can do is wish him on his merry way and hope he comes back as manager one day.’ Gerrard runs away in celebration after giving Premier League outfit Liverpool the lead against Wimbledon . The FA Cup tie was Gerrard’s first game since confirming his decision to leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of this season and play in the MLS. Brendan Rodgers claimed the decision had been taken after much consideration on Gerrard’s part and that it would be the perfect send-off if his captain could go on to win the FA Cup at Wembley on May 30, his 35th birthday. They are at home to Bolton in round four. The debate, however, will rage on, especially if Gerrard can influence games in the Barclays Premier League games as he did the one at Wimbledon, and if fellow 30-somethings Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba keep performing well at the top of the league. ‘He is so technically gifted, so you play to his strengths,’ said 32-year-old Akinfenwa. ‘Pirlo is the direct comparison. As you get older, you ain’t going to have the legs to keep going up and down, so you adapt your game and you adapt the formation to play his game.’ Gerrard is mobbed by his Liverpool team-mates after scoring the winner at Kingsmeadow . Wimbledon return to League Two duties at Stevenage on Saturday, but they will not forget the night they pushed Liverpool all the way and muscular striker Akinfenwa, after more than a decade journeying around England’s lower leagues, scored past Simon Mignolet. ‘To score against them, it is stuff I couldn’t have dreamed of,’ he said. ‘The only thing better was if we beat them 2-1 or drew 1-1 and took it back to Anfield. I did two of three things. I played and I scored. I can’t put it into words. ‘I was giddy. I was seeing stars, green clovers. I was thinking: “Is it?” Then I did a little jig with Callum Kennedy. It was surreal. ‘We’re a League Two team and it don’t come around much when you’re standing alongside Stevie G and the rest of the Liverpool team. I got the shirt — I told you I would get it — and if not I would have had to beat up my team-mates. Akinfenwa runs away in celebration after 'the Beast' gave Wimbledon hope against Liverpool . ‘I’ll be able to look back at it and say I was on the pitch with one of the greatest English players of my generation. I truly hope and pray that he lifts the FA Cup on his 35th birthday. We’d be able to say that the team that beat us were the ones that won it.’ Meanwhile, former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has claimed that Liverpool will be in ‘disarray’ when Gerrard leaves . The six-time League winner told talkSPORT: ‘I, and many of the other former players, are surprised that the Fenway Sports Group [Liverpool’s owners], and the management structure, don’t want Steven Gerrard to stay until the end of his career. ‘I would give him games week in and week out. He’s still a leader and we still need him. Liverpool still rely on him a lot, he delivers, as he did against Wimbledon. ‘He was the only one who came up to scratch and got the two goals. What are they going to rely on next season? Who is going to be leading this club? If you don’t have a person like Gerrard, then the club might be in disarray.’ Callum Kennedy's clearance denied Gerrard a hat-trick against the League Two Dons .
Steven Gerrard has announced he will leave Liverpool in the summer .
Midfielder gave Reds food for thought with brace against the Dons .
Liverpool were given a scare before winning 2-1 at Kingsmeadow .
Lifelong Liverpool fan Akinfenwa says skipper must stay at Anfield .
Having given Liverpool a fright and taken his hero’s shirt, Adebayo Akinfenwa issued a warning that Steven Gerrard must not be allowed to leave Anfield. ‘To lose him, boy, I don’t know the future, but it will be a problem,’ said Akinfenwa, who rattled his beloved Reds with an equaliser for AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup third round before Gerrard won it with a free-kick to fuel the debate about his plans to move to the United States. ‘You can see he was the difference. If he didn’t play, it would have been a different story. He was miles better than anybody on the pitch. Sometimes when you play against people you can just use the word “class”. That’s what it is. Two moments of magic won the game. Steven Gerrard looks on as his free-kick goes over the wall on its way to securing Liverpool a 2-1 victory . Lifelong Liverpool supporter Adebayo Akinfenwa poses with Gerrard's shirt after the game . ‘I’m not trying to blow no smoke up anywhere. I’m saying he is the difference and Liverpool will lose that. I don’t want to see him go. Not just as a Liverpool supporter but as a lover of football. He will be a massive miss.’ Akinfenwa swapped shirts with Gerrard after the final whistle. ‘I just spoke to him quickly,’ he said. ‘I was like: “Look, don’t go, I’m a fan, please don’t go, man”. He just smiled. Nobody can begrudge Steven Gerrard doing what he wants to do. He’s been a legend. If he needs to go to pastures new, so be it. ‘It is down to Liverpool to try to do everything to keep him and get him to stay, but if he has made his mind up, he has made his mind up. All you can do is wish him on his merry way and hope he comes back as manager one day.’ Gerrard runs away in celebration after giving Premier League outfit Liverpool the lead against Wimbledon . The FA Cup tie was Gerrard’s first game since confirming his decision to leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of this season and play in the MLS. Brendan Rodgers claimed the decision had been taken after much consideration on Gerrard’s part and that it would be the perfect send-off if his captain could go on to win the FA Cup at Wembley on May 30, his 35th birthday. They are at home to Bolton in round four. The debate, however, will rage on, especially if Gerrard can influence games in the Barclays Premier League games as he did the one at Wimbledon, and if fellow 30-somethings Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba keep performing well at the top of the league. ‘He is so technically gifted, so you play to his strengths,’ said 32-year-old Akinfenwa. ‘Pirlo is the direct comparison. As you get older, you ain’t going to have the legs to keep going up and down, so you adapt your game and you adapt the formation to play his game.’ Gerrard is mobbed by his Liverpool team-mates after scoring the winner at Kingsmeadow . Wimbledon return to League Two duties at Stevenage on Saturday, but they will not forget the night they pushed Liverpool all the way and muscular striker Akinfenwa, after more than a decade journeying around England’s lower leagues, scored past Simon Mignolet. ‘To score against them, it is stuff I couldn’t have dreamed of,’ he said. ‘The only thing better was if we beat them 2-1 or drew 1-1 and took it back to Anfield. I did two of three things. I played and I scored. I can’t put it into words. ‘I was giddy. I was seeing stars, green clovers. I was thinking: “Is it?” Then I did a little jig with Callum Kennedy. It was surreal. ‘We’re a League Two team and it don’t come around much when you’re standing alongside Stevie G and the rest of the Liverpool team. I got the shirt — I told you I would get it — and if not I would have had to beat up my team-mates. Akinfenwa runs away in celebration after 'the Beast' gave Wimbledon hope against Liverpool . ‘I’ll be able to look back at it and say I was on the pitch with one of the greatest English players of my generation. I truly hope and pray that he lifts the FA Cup on his 35th birthday. We’d be able to say that the team that beat us were the ones that won it.’ Meanwhile, former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has claimed that Liverpool will be in ‘disarray’ when Gerrard leaves . The six-time League winner told talkSPORT: ‘I, and many of the other former players, are surprised that the Fenway Sports Group [Liverpool’s owners], and the management structure, don’t want Steven Gerrard to stay until the end of his career. ‘I would give him games week in and week out. He’s still a leader and we still need him. Liverpool still rely on him a lot, he delivers, as he did against Wimbledon. ‘He was the only one who came up to scratch and got the two goals. What are they going to rely on next season? Who is going to be leading this club? If you don’t have a person like Gerrard, then the club might be in disarray.’ Callum Kennedy's clearance denied Gerrard a hat-trick against the League Two Dons .
that Steven Gerrard must not be allowed to leave Akinfenwa, who rattled his beloved Reds with an Liverpool a 2-1 victory . Lifelong Liverpool him and get him to stay, but if he has made his decision to leave Liverpool when his contract after scoring the winner at Kingsmeadow . claimed that Liverpool will be in ‘disarray’ when Gerrard a hat-trick against the League Two Dons .