91Èȱ¬

Jamie Carragher said his 737th and final Liverpool game before retiring was one he will "never forget".

The 35-year-old central defender helped the Reds beat QPR 1-0 as he brought an end to his career at Anfield.

"It's brilliant," he said. "We always have a great time at the last game of the season. It was a special send-off for me and a day I'll never forget.

"I've been playing here a long time and it's sad to think I'll never play at Anfield again in a competitive game."

He added: "It has to come to an end at some stage and I've got some great memories."

Carragher trails only Ian Callaghan in all-time appearances for the club.

He was given a guard of honour as he came out for the match, and received a standing ovation when he was substituted after 85 minutes.

Philippe Coutinho gave the Reds the lead against relegated QPR and Carragher almost had a fairytale finish to his career only for his late long-range strike to come back off the post.

"I scored on my debut 16 years ago and it would have been nice to finish that way, but it wasn't to be," he said. "It was a couple of inches out.

"I'm just getting the hang of shooting in my last game. It's something that has come a bit late for me.

"It was important that I tried to stay focused on the game and not let it all catch up with me really and affect my performance."

Carragher admitted it had been an "emotional" day, but added: "The important thing was to get a win and finish on a good performance, and that's what we have managed to do."