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Steven Gerrard came close to leaving Liverpool in 2005(Image: Getty Images)

Rafael Benitez once feared he'd be remembered as the Liverpool boss who let Steven Gerrard slip through the club's fingers.

Then, in a stunning reversal, Gerrard changed his mind, bringing widespread relief across Merseyside - and, no doubt, in the Benitez household too.

"There was a point where Rafa Benitez thought he was [going to be known as] the manager who had sold Steven to Chelsea," former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey told Prime Casino.



However, the Premier League title - the one honour he craved most - remained agonisingly elusive.

Rafa Benitez feared he'd go down in history as the man who let Steven Gerrard leave Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Chelsea continued reaping the rewards Gerrard knowingly sacrificed.

It's difficult when you're leaving your local team, especially when it's Liverpool or you're leaving a Manchester club, and you're such a big legend within the city," said Heskey, who spent four-and-a-half seasons at Anfield.

Emile Heskey thinks Steven Gerrard made the right decision by staying at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

"Going to, say, Chelsea or Arsenal or someone like that is going to be tough when you come back with a London team.

But when you go to Chelsea, like Steven almost did, that's tough.

Under Benitez in 2008/09, they pushed Manchester United all the way, ultimately finishing just four points adrift.

Steven Gerrard's infamous slip against Chelsea in 2014 cost Liverpool the Premier League title(Image: Getty Images)

Then came the 2013/14 season - perhaps the most gut-wrenching of all.
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