Steven Gerrard won't let his night in the cells arrest Liverpool's title charge.
Gerrard endured a crazy 24 hours - after inspiring Liverpool to a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle on Sunday with a brilliant performance, he woke up yesterday in a police cell on Merseyside.
The Reds skipper was arrested along with five other men on suspicion of assault and spent most of the day in custody as he was quizzed by detectives before being released late last night.
Gerrard, 28, was due back at Melwood this morning after what was officially a day off for the players yesterday and team-mate Dirk Kuyt has come out in support of him.
Kuyt claims Gerrard is a great captain and is backing him to keep spearheading their title challenge.
"Stevie was great against Newcastle, but then he always is," said the Dutch international.
"He scored two goals and got two assists for us. He's a great captain and showed once again how he likes to lead by example. Like I said, it's not just this game that he does it, he does it every game. He's very important to us."
Gerrard's brush with the law came as he unwound with a few mates on a night out in Southport after the Newcastle win and, ironically, he claims the secret behind Liverpool's great form is because they are relaxed.
The midfielder felt they let the pressure of being league leaders get to them in recent games at Anfield where they dropped points to Hull and West Ham.
"I think we've got to enjoy it," he said, speaking before his arrest.
"We'll play our best football if we are relaxed and composed.
"There have probably been times when we've been a bit anxious, particularly at home, because we're top and we're trying to win games in the first 15 or 20 minutes. But I think the win against Bolton on Boxing Day showed the importance of being relaxed because we got our rewards for a composed passing display.
"The message to all of us is to relax, to keep working hard and to enjoy it. We're top of the league so confidence should be high. The table doesn't lie so we've got to be very pleased.
"Our performance against Newcastle illustrates how good our away form is at the moment. It's first class and if we continue that and improve slightly at home, then it could be an interesting end of season."
Liverpool's thrashing of Newcastle gives them a three point lead at the top of the Premier League, but the perfectionist Gerrard cannot help but reflect on those dropped points at home.
"Our points tally is decent, but I'm still disappointed because it could have been better still," he said.
"We've had a few slip-ups at home against Hull, Stoke and Fulham. They were games we had expected to win and should have won.
"It was a good team performance against Newcastle with a lot of goals. We could have scored even more if you're going to be picky and fussy.
"You have got to look at the work we do on the training ground. We work on passing and possession day in and day out, so much so that you almost become sick of it.
"You are seeing the fruits of the work we are doing out on the pitch.
"We are keeping the ball very well, defensively we look solid and we're scoring a lot of goals."
Liverpool fans are beginning to believe that Rafa Benitez can bring them their first title since 1990 - but Gerrard, who was only 10 then, urged caution.
"I think it's important for us to remain humble, keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard," he said.
"We know that if we keep performing to this level, we will come very close.
"But it's still early and there are a lot of big challenges still ahead, so we certainly won't be getting carried away."
Gerrard endured a crazy 24 hours - after inspiring Liverpool to a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle on Sunday with a brilliant performance, he woke up yesterday in a police cell on Merseyside.
The Reds skipper was arrested along with five other men on suspicion of assault and spent most of the day in custody as he was quizzed by detectives before being released late last night.
Gerrard, 28, was due back at Melwood this morning after what was officially a day off for the players yesterday and team-mate Dirk Kuyt has come out in support of him.
Kuyt claims Gerrard is a great captain and is backing him to keep spearheading their title challenge.
"Stevie was great against Newcastle, but then he always is," said the Dutch international.
"He scored two goals and got two assists for us. He's a great captain and showed once again how he likes to lead by example. Like I said, it's not just this game that he does it, he does it every game. He's very important to us."
Gerrard's brush with the law came as he unwound with a few mates on a night out in Southport after the Newcastle win and, ironically, he claims the secret behind Liverpool's great form is because they are relaxed.
The midfielder felt they let the pressure of being league leaders get to them in recent games at Anfield where they dropped points to Hull and West Ham.
"I think we've got to enjoy it," he said, speaking before his arrest.
"We'll play our best football if we are relaxed and composed.
"There have probably been times when we've been a bit anxious, particularly at home, because we're top and we're trying to win games in the first 15 or 20 minutes. But I think the win against Bolton on Boxing Day showed the importance of being relaxed because we got our rewards for a composed passing display.
"The message to all of us is to relax, to keep working hard and to enjoy it. We're top of the league so confidence should be high. The table doesn't lie so we've got to be very pleased.
"Our performance against Newcastle illustrates how good our away form is at the moment. It's first class and if we continue that and improve slightly at home, then it could be an interesting end of season."
Liverpool's thrashing of Newcastle gives them a three point lead at the top of the Premier League, but the perfectionist Gerrard cannot help but reflect on those dropped points at home.
"Our points tally is decent, but I'm still disappointed because it could have been better still," he said.
"We've had a few slip-ups at home against Hull, Stoke and Fulham. They were games we had expected to win and should have won.
"It was a good team performance against Newcastle with a lot of goals. We could have scored even more if you're going to be picky and fussy.
"You have got to look at the work we do on the training ground. We work on passing and possession day in and day out, so much so that you almost become sick of it.
"You are seeing the fruits of the work we are doing out on the pitch.
"We are keeping the ball very well, defensively we look solid and we're scoring a lot of goals."
Liverpool fans are beginning to believe that Rafa Benitez can bring them their first title since 1990 - but Gerrard, who was only 10 then, urged caution.
"I think it's important for us to remain humble, keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard," he said.
"We know that if we keep performing to this level, we will come very close.
"But it's still early and there are a lot of big challenges still ahead, so we certainly won't be getting carried away."
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