Jordan Henderson’s first match back at Anfield as a Chelsea player has sparked a strong reaction among Liverpool fans after the Reds defeated their London rivals in a penalty shootout in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
The tie was level at 1-1 after Morgan Rogers and Cody Gakpo both scored from the spot before half-time, with a shootout needed after 90 minutes to separate the two sides. The Reds, 10-time winners of the competition, will now face Bournemouth in the quarter-finals after extending their perfect record against the Blues in penalty shootouts to five wins from five.
However, it was Henderson’s actions throughout the night that have continued to dominate the conversation among the Anfield faithful. The former Liverpool captain was booed by sections of the crowd on his return, but not everyone believes he deserved such a hostile reception.
Jordan Henderson’s Actions During Liverpool vs Chelsea Divides Reds’ Fans
There were several times Henderson’s actions picked up some flak on social media in midweek. The first incident saw him argue with Virgil van Dijk, which would have been seen as impossible just a few years ago. Watch below:
It was during the penalty shootout that irked some Liverpool supporters the most, though, with disgruntled X users pointing out that he had chosen himself to take the fifth penalty – usually in the hope that they’d be given the onus of tucking away the winner.
Meanwhile, he appeared to smirk at the crowd upon converting from 12 yards. Reacting to the resulting footage online, one user remarked:
Another added: “Henderson’s smirk has angered me. I was one of your biggest defenders, and you treat me like this,” as a third questioned: “Is Henderson genuinely not embarrassed?”
Elsewhere, a fourth continued: “Jordan Henderson, you are a clown,” while a fifth concluded: “My distaste for Henderson grows by the second, can’t stand him.”
Majority of Liverpool Fans Still Defend Their Former Captain
Henderson served Liverpool for 12 years, winning seven major honours, including being the captain for the Reds’ first Premier League title in 30 years, as well as their sixth Champions League win in 2019.
For that reason, Anfield was conflicted on Wednesday night after he was recently spotted kissing the Chelsea badge after scoring twice in a 5-1 win over Bournemouth.
But the majority of fans are still on his side as others make mountains out of mole hills, with the sentiment nicely summed up by one X user who wrote:
“Think it’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge how embarrassing it was for Anfield to boo Jordan Henderson. We’re at risk for losing what makes Liverpool so special.”
Another continued: “By the way, booing Jordan Henderson is very weird. 12 years of service, he didn’t leave directly for Chelsea. It’s very strange to me.”
Elsewhere, someone else wrote: “Boos for Jordan Henderson are f****** embarrassing. Booing culture has grown too much in football. Captain the club for 8 years, some of our best 8 years and you’re booing. Grow up.”
Anfield was full of praise for Henderson when he came back to Merseyside with Brentford. But, clearly, some love has been lost in translation with his latest switch.