Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard handed Everton wing-back Nathan Patterson at Rangers and it was the master and not the student who won the day in a Premier League reunion.
All the attention was on the clash between Liverpool legend Gerrard and Chelsea icon Frank Lampard as their Villa and Everton sides clashed amid a backdrop of growing pressure.
Both squad have been bulked out with big investment but both sides have had stuttering spells over the end of last season and bleeding into this one.
And it was Steven Gerrard who’d get the better of his old England teammate Frank Lampard in a 2-1 victory for Aston Villa which kickstarts the Birmingham side’s season.
There were grumbles aplenty following an open day defeat to Bournemouth, with Lampard’s Everton now without a point in their opening two matches having lost their opener to Chelsea.
Danny Ings had given Aston Villa a first-half lead before a frenetic couple of minutes saw two goals scored late on and the pressure heaped on Villa in the closing stages of the game.
Emiliano Buendía looked to have put Gerrard’s side out of sight with a second goal with five minutes to play before minutes later Lucas Digne conceded an own goal.
Steven Gerrard gets better of Nathan Patterson in Rangers reunion
For watching Rangers fans, the attention would’ve been firmly on the appearance of young Nathan Patterson who has started this season as the number one right-back at Goodison Park.
This comes after a reported £16m move from Rangers in January – after Steven Gerrard had left the club – in a move which was a then record-breaking transfer fee received at Ibrox.
Things didn’t go to plan in those first six months at Everton but now it appears the Rangers youngster is set to get a run in the first-team under Lampard, even if the Premier League season has started difficultly.
The 20-year-old Scotland international was a stand-out in the clash too and despite the defeat has began to grab the attentions of Everton fans.
Steven Gerrard had given Nathan Patterson is debut at Rangers and pushed him into the Ibrox first-team, even putting an arm around the youngster during a high-profile Covid-19 breach during the 55-winning 20/21 season.
Whilst the day belongs to Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa, we’re sure he would’ve got the chance to reunite with the former Rangers talent as Everton look to maximise the final few weeks of the window.
Meanwhile, one player who was left heartbroken by Rangers last season has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.