England footballer Steven Gerrard has spoken of his relief after he was cleared of unjustly attacking a man in a bar.
The Liverpool captain admitted hitting Marcus McGee, 34, in a Southport bar last December and a jury at Liverpool Crown Court accepted his explanation that he acted in self-defence.
The 29-year-old was the only one of seven defendants to be cleared over the "explosion of violence" at the Lounge Inn during which Mr McGee lost a tooth and suffered facial cuts.
Gerrard left Liverpool Crown Court to applause from fans and shouts of "come on Rocky".
He said: "Can I just say how pleased I am with today's verdict. I'd like to put this case behind me. I'm really looking forward to the season ahead and concentrating on football. I'd like to say a big thank you to my legal team, my friends and family and to everyone at Liverpool Football Club for supporting me."
Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez, who is in Singapore prior to his side's game against the national team on Sunday, said: "We are really pleased. He is very important for us and he can now focus just on football."
The trial heard that Gerrard was at the Lounge Inn in Southport, Merseyside, on December 29 to celebrate Liverpool's 5-1 demolition of Newcastle United hours earlier.
The Reds' captain, who scored twice in the game, was enjoying a night out with a party of friends including Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish, 58. CCTV footage from the bar showed Gerrard and his friends drinking beer, downing shots and dancing round while chanting football songs. But trouble flared at around 2am when the father-of-two wanted to change the music on the CD player.
Five of Gerrard's friends who accompanied him that night admitted affray. They are Ian Smith, 19, of Hilary Avenue, John Doran, 29, of Woodlands Road, and Paul McGrattan, 31, of Linden Drive, all Huyton, and Accrington Stanley footballers Robert Grant, 19, of Enstone Avenue, Litherland, and Ian Dunbavin, 28, of Guildford Road, Southport. Another friend, John McGrattan, 34, of Rimmer Avenue, Huyton, admitted threatening behaviour.
The six men will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on August 7.
