Gerrard latest Liverpool theft victim

England midfielder Steven Gerrard is the latest Liverpool player to be targeted by burglars during away games. Just after Liverpool's 4-0 Champions League victory in Marseilles on Tuesday night - in which Gerrard scored the first goal – his wife, Alex Curran, at home with a female friend and the couple's two young daughters, surprised four men in balaclavas who had broken into their £3m mansion in the village of Freshfield, near Formby on Merseyside.

Police described the robbery as "confrontational" but Curran - one of the most high-profile 'WAGs' (footballers' wives and girlfriends) - was not hurt. The intruders took a woman's Rolex watch and two sets of car keys. It was not clear whether they found the Cartier watch Curran had told Closer magazine she had bought her husband as a Christmas present.

A neighbour said the robbery must have been meticulously planned because the house was "like a fortress", surrounded by by high walls and iron gates. A friend of the family said: "The burglars have no respect. They trashed the place trying to find the valuables and then just waltzed out through the front gate. You can see their muddy footprints in the drive. Alex is heartbroken by what's happened."

Gerrard becomes the seventh Liverpool player to be targeted by burglars in two years. Targets have included Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt and goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. The burglars' haul includes two Porsche cars, an Aston Martin, a BMW, a Ferrari and a Cadillac. Large quantities of jewellery, champagne and football memorabilia have also been taken. Liverpool Football Club is now considering employing security guards to protect players' homes during away games.