England captain Steven Gerrard praised Brazilian Lucas Leiva following Liverpool’s 2-1 away win at West Ham United yesterday in the Premier League.
Gerrard scored twice in the win but hailed the impact of Leiva, a half time sub for compatriot Philippe Coutinho, especially in front of the watchful eye of Brazil national team coaches.
“Lucas deserves a special mentioned,” Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo.
“I think there was a lot of pressure on him – the Brazil coach was here to watch him. He hasn’t played much of late, but he’s come back and worked his socks off to get fit.
“The ball he played for the second goal – people have been raving about Coutinho all year and the passes he has made – but for me, that was right up there with Brazil ’s best.
“I think that helped us go on and get the win.”
The pass by Lucas was exquisite and as Gerrard alluded too, it played a huge part in helping the Reds stay on track for a their first Premier League title.
The England and Liverpool captain concluded by praising the talents of Lucas and Coutinho in giving the squad everything they require.
“It’s great credit to Lucas and I think it shows that in this squad now we have a bit of everything,” Gerrard added.
“A bit of class, a bit of skill in Luis Suárez, Daniel Sturridge and Coutinho but we’ve also got some steel. We have lads here who want to roll their sleeves up and dig in.”
