LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard apologised last night for letting down teammates, manager Brendan Rodgers and fans with a needless moment of madness which saw him sent off after just 40 seconds in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.

The midfielder accepted full responsibility for the defeat after being dismissed for stamping on Ander Herrera less than a minute after coming on for the start of the second half.

Liverpool were already trailing 1-0 thanks to Juan Mata’s opener and the Spain international added a second before the Reds, playing better with 10 men, pulled one back through Daniel Sturridge.

Rodgers refused to criticise Gerrard, who departs for Los Angeles Galaxy this summer, and praised him for making a fulsome apology.

“I need to accept it, the decision was right. I have let my teammates and manager down today, even more importantly I let all the supporters down and I take full responsibility for my action,” Gerrard told Sky Sports.

“I tried to jump his tackle, I saw his studs and I reacted wrong. I’ve been in the game long enough to know when you do something like that, especially at the timing of the game, at half-time with 45 to play, a great opportunity to get back in the game. I take full responsibility for it.”

Rodgers had kept Gerrard on the bench for his final encounter against United but hoped for a different kind of influence on the game having made the change at the interval.

“I won’t criticise him. He has been brilliant since I came here. We will move on.”