Details of Steven Gerrard's abrupt sacking have emerged following Aston Villa's decision to sack the 42-year-old late yesterday evening.
The dust had barely settled on Villa's latest Premier League defeat when a club statement was released on social media at 10:45pm confirming Gerrard's reign as head coach was over.
Pressure had been building on the Liverpool legend in recent weeks after a below-par start to the season, in a campaign viewed as a real opportunity for the West Midlands club to push for a European finish. Instead, they are currently faced with a battle to beat the drop.
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After collecting just two league wins this term, Gerrard will have arrived at Craven Cottage fully aware there was little margin for error as he looked to continue serving as the man at the helm. A 3-0 defeat followed, which also involved an own goal and red card, leaving supporters incensed at the full-time whistle.
A latest report by the Athletic has explained how quickly the situation unravelled for Gerrard on Thursday night, claiming the Kop icon boarded the Villa team bus back to the Midlands before being 'expected to say a final farewell at the training ground'.
The story adds the Villa board were keen to back their manager, but owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, along with CEO Christian Purslow, felt there was no other option but to dismiss Gerrard after suffering their second less to a newly-promoted side of the season.
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