Steven Gerrard's emphatic response to Arsenal's Bukayo Saka over referee comment

Steven Gerrard didn’t mince his words after Aston Villa’s Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Saturday.

The Liverpool legend couldn’t hide his emotions after the 1-0 loss at Villa Park with an interview in which he criticised the quality of questioning from Des Kelly quickly going viral.

Gerrard has done a solid job since swapping Glasgow for Birmingham and it couldn’t have been clearer during the awkward exchange on BT Sport what each and every game means to him.

However, the 41-year-old wasn’t finished making the back pages there because he also produced a head-turning answer when asked about Bukayo Saka calling for protection from the referee.

Arsenal’s match-winner was fouled three times in the Midlands and was generally on the receiving end of some hefty tackles, prompting Kelly to ask him about it during their post-match interview.

The England international revealed that he had told referee Andrew Madley about the treatment he was receiving from Villa players, informing him that he needed more protection sometimes.

According to Sky Sports, Saka explained: “I wasn’t complaining to the ref but I just wanted to let him know that that’s my game, running at players with pace, and sometimes I need a bit more protection when players are purposefully trying to kick me.”

Seems pretty innocent, right? Well, perhaps, but the situation escalated somewhat when Gerrard was informed about Saka’s comments during his own post-match media obligations.

According to Goal, Gerrard said in reaction to the interview: “He said we were too rough? They didn’t commit any fouls today?

“Listen, it’s part of the game. The last time I checked, it isn’t a no-contact sport. I think tackles are allowed, physicality is allowed, aggression is