Former Chelsea forward Demba Ba has admitted he does not feel sorry for being the striker to capitalise on Steven Gerrard's slip that many argue cost Liverpool the Premier League title.
The Reds captain is still adored by the Anfield faithful despite the fact it was him who lost his footing in a crucial game at home to Chelsea and allowed Ba to put the Blues in front on what was a miserable afternoon for Liverpool back in 2014. The stakes were high as a Brendan Rodgers -led Reds side were edging closer to what was then a first-Premier League title.
Just three games separated the club from an elusive league triumph by the time they welcomed Ba's side to their home. Prior to kick-off, Liverpool were three points ahead of their nearest challengers Manchester City, though they had played a game more.
Chelsea were lingering five points behind, but Rodgers knew a win would kill off any threat the Blues posed at that late stage of the season. However, one of the English top-flight's most memorable moments was to occur just before the interval and scupper Liverpool's title tilt.
A tame pass from Mamadou Sakho made its way back to the foot of Gerrard, who uncharacteristically mis-controlled the ball and in his attempt to retrieve it - slipped, allowing Ba a clean run through on goal. The former Newcastle striker made no mistake as he calmly slotted it beyond the onrushing Simon Mignolet.
During an interview with The Athletic, Ba was asked as to whether he felt in any way apologetic for the infamous goal, but he was brutally honest in his response.
"No, not really," Ba explained. "Because that’s the game. You make errors and others take advantage. What Steven Gerrard has done for the world of football is tremendous. But this is life, unfortunately. Not all stories can end in fairytales."
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The moment was made to feel that little bit more cruel on Gerrard given his rally cry to his teammates just two weeks prior included the aptly worded motivational message "we do not let this slip."
In what was a very minor consolation for Gerrard, Chelsea scored again late on courtesy of a 94th minute Willian tap-in to ensure his slip was at the very least not a contributing factor to the game's only goal. The Liverpool captain reflected on the moment in his book years later.
"I sat in the back of the car and felt the tears rolling down my face," he wrote. "I hadn't cried for years but, on the way home, I couldn't stop. The tears kept coming. I can't even tell you if the streets were thick with traffic or as empty as I was on the inside. It was killing me."
Man City would go on to win all of their remaining fixtures and snatched what was then their second Premier League title from under the noses of Liverpool.
