STEVEN GERRARD WENT from villain to hero within the space of eight minutes as Liverpool overcame a spirited QPR to claim all three points at Anfield.
Gerrard rose highest to nod in a Coutinho corner on 87 minutes soon after seeing a penalty saved by Robert Green as he marked his penultimate match at Anfield with a winning goal.
Leroy Fer had earlier bundled in a corner to cancel out Coutinho’s beautifully-worked first-half opener and give QPR hope in their increasingly forlorn battle against relegation, but Gerrard had the final word.
The game at Anfield took place against a sombre backdrop, with players from both teams sporting black armbands in tribute to Rebecca Ellison, wife of QPR defender Rio Ferdinand, who died of breast cancer on Friday night.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was targeted by a protest banner calling for his dismissal that was flown over the stadium by a small plane, but he saw his side take a 19th-minute lead through Philippe Coutinho.
Fer equalised with a volley from a Joey Barton corner in the 73rd minute, before Liverpool captain Gerrard saw a penalty saved by former England colleague Green.
But the momentum swung back in the hosts’ favour when Nedum Onuoha was sent off for a second bookable offence and Gerrard atoned for his penalty blunder by heading home an 87th-minute winner.
