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Xabi Alonso Pulled Off Two Of The Greatest Assists In Premier League History... In The Same Game
Liverpool magician Xabi Alonso once delivered two of the most unreal assists you'll ever see - and they both came in the same game.
The Basque playmaker, who arrived at Anfield in 2004 and helped Liverpool win the Champions League in his debut season, is famous for his Sat-Nav passing. But this was something else.
His first assist was a no-look, turn-and-hit sidewinder - from inside his half - that split Sunderland's defence open and fell right into the path of Luis Garcia.
Most players couldn't play this pass looking forwards, let alone facing their own goal.
For Alonso's second trick, he produced a midfield stepover then lifted a perfect, pinpoint pass into Steven Gerrard's run. Naturally, the Liverpool captain rounded the keeper to score.
The very definition of pulling the strings in midfield.
Those assists in a 2-0 away win are a reminder of why the Spanish World Cup winner is still beloved in Liverpool today, even after he left the club to join Real Madrid in 2009.
Many Liverpool fans feel the beginning of the end of Rafa Benitez's reign came when he reportedly decided he wanted to get rid of Alonso and bring in Gareth Barry a year earlier in 2008.
Alonso was always adored by the Kop - and would continue to occasionally return to Anfield to watch live games in the crowd. He was also deeply appreciated by his midfield partner Gerrard, who dealt him the highest of praise.
"Xabi is a world-class player and also a top-class human being. I miss being around Xabi on a daily basis, I used to love working and playing alongside him," Gerrard told LiverpoolFC.com.
"He could be the best [midfielder I played with] but that would be disrespectful to all of the other world-class players I played with: Dietmar Hamann, Gary McAllister, Danny Murphy, Javier Mascherano, tons of world-class players.
"Xabi was certainly up there - but not just with the players I played with, he is up there with the world's best."
Maximum respect from Stevie G. And - with all due respect to Murphy and Mascherano - we're not sure that either of them could have produced a pair of passes quite like Xabi did against Sunderland, just over 15 years ago.
Topics: Liverpool, Football, Sunderland, Xabi Alonso, Premier League, Steven Gerrard
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