STEVEN GERRARD believes the spirit of Istanbul helped Liverpool to a memorable FA Cup victory.
The midfielder produced a man-of-the-match performance as Rafael Benitez's side overcame West Ham United 3-1 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in Cardif f.
Gerrard equalised twice - the second a 35-yard screamer in the final minute of normal time - as Liverpool fought from 2-0 and 3-2 down to take the game to a penalty shoot-out.
The 25-year-old was then on target from the spot as Pepe Reina saved three of West Ham's penalties to earn the Anfield outfit the FA Cup for the seventh time in their history.
It evoked memories of Liverpool's astonishing Champions League final comeback against AC Milan last year, when they fought back from 3-0 to claim the European Cup in similar fashion.
And Gerrard insists the never-say-die spirit instilled by manager Benitez helped them claim victory at the Millennium Stadium.
"I think we learnt a lot from the Milan game last year. When you are down, however you are playing, you know it's not over until the end. When we're down we're not buried.We made hard work of it, and they played really well. It seems we have to do it the hard way in these finals.
"When there are only a couple of minutes left you are fearing the worst. But that is what drives us on. It was really hot out there, we were going down with cramp all over the place just like in Istanbul and it was a tough game."
Gerrard - who now has eight winners' medals - now has the unique distinction of having scored in an FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup and European Cup final.
