AFC Wimbledon 1 : 2 Liverpool - Gerrard brace sends Reds through

Steven Gerrard's long goodbye began by saving Liverpool's blushes as AFC Wimbledon threatened an upset akin to the 1988 FA Cup final.

This third-round tie was the first match since the 34-year-old announced he will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season, with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States beckoning.

Winning a third FA Cup on what will be his 35th birthday would certainly be a fitting end to Gerrard's time with the Reds, who he helped secure a 2-1 win against Wimbledon with goals either side of an Adebayo Akinfenwa strike.

The giant striker's leveller for League Two side allowed fans to dream of an upset similar to their famous defeat of the Merseyside behemoths in 1988, when Lawrie Sanchez's header brought home the cup.

That remains the most famous day in Wimbledon's history and this match marked another milestone, with this the first time they had reached the third round since their rebirth in 2002.

However, it was a tie which looked to only be going one way as Gerrard put the visitors ahead with a lovely header after 12 minutes.

Rather than take the sting out of the tie, though, it sprung the hosts into life, with Wimbledon netting a deserved leveller through Akinfenwa.

The presence of the 16-stone striker, affectionately nicknamed 'The Beast', saw much-maligned Simon Mignolet flap at a corner and, when the ball came off the bar, he prodded home from close range..

It was no less than the Dons deserved and Gerrard was forced to clear off the line when Adam Barrett powered a header goalwards moments after the restart.

However, Gerrard, like so many times before, dragged Liverpool up by the coat-tails and brilliantly curled home a 22-yard free-kick - what proved the decisive goal in an enthralling third-round tie.