Steven Gerrard disappointed integrity was questioned before Liverpool game

Steven Gerrard has said he is disappointed his integrity has been questioned before the former Liverpool captain takes his Aston Villa side to Manchester City but conceded the dream scenario would be if his current and former club profit on the final day.

If Villa take points off City they would hand the Premier League title to Liverpool, providing Jürgen Klopp’s side secure victory at home to Wolves, but for Villa the sole focus is on attempting to secure a top-half finish in the top division for the first time since 2011.

Questions were asked about how Villa would approach last week’s home game against Liverpool, when they put in a battling performance before losing 2-1. Gerrard’s selection against Burnley on Thursday was then studied for signs he was resting players for the City game, but only Danny Ings being a substitute was a notable break from the recent norm and that followed the striker starting four matches in the previous 21 days.

Gerrard said “the phone has been busy” in the buildup to the end-of-season finale and raised the issue of integrity himself. “In terms of Liverpool, I totally understand and respect the external noise and the questions that have been coming my way for some time,” Gerrard said. “They’re involved in a title race, and I spent a lot of time there. It is disappointing when people mention integrity and aim it towards me or Aston Villa or any of my players. We’ll go out at the weekend and give it everything we’ve got to try to get points for Aston Villa and our supporters. If that inevitably helps Liverpool, fantastic.”

Gerrard believes Klopp and Pep Guardiola, such is the strength of their respective teams, have created a buffer between them and the rest of the league. “When I played there