The Liverpool and England midfielder ­Steven Gerrard was last night charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray following an incident at a Southport bar which left a man needing hospital treatment for facial injuries.

Gerrard, one of six men arrested following the incident, was charged with two other men after being held by police for nearly 24 hours following his arrest at the Lounge Inn, a venue in a quiet part of the Merseyside town.

He was released in the early hours of this morning.

Earlier in the day the bar had shown one or two signs of the alleged incident that led to the arrests. A high-powered sports car – owned, it is thought, by the player – was still parked outside, with a ticket slapped on the frost-covered windscreen.

Inside the bar and restaurant, it was easy for onlookers to make out the mess. On a table near the window were smashed drinks glasses. Drops of blood could be seen under a bar stool – evidence, ­perhaps, for the four Merseyside detectives who turned up later.

Quite what happened, to whom and how, was still unclear, but by the early hours of this morning, Gerrard was still in police custody after a night out to celebrate his team's comprehensive defeat of Newcastle United on Sunday.

The alleged victim was the club's 34-year-old DJ. The Lounge Inn is a favoured nightspot for celebrities in the genteel seaside town.

One report suggested Gerrard and a group of his friends were involved in an altercation after the man refused to allow them to choose the songs played on the venue's sound system. Gerrard is a big fan of Phil Collins and counts the singer's greatest hits as his favourite album. He is also partial to Coldplay.

Neither the police nor Liverpool FC were prepared to give any details of the fracas that led to a man being taken to hospital for treatment for cuts to his face. It was also reported that the injured man had lost a tooth, but he has been released from hospital.

Merseyside police had confirmed the force was investigating an alleged assault that took place at 2.30am on Monday morning. A statement read: "Six men were arrested on suspicion of section 20 assault on Lord Street. The men, four, aged 33, 31, 29 and 19, who all come from the Huyton area, a 28-year-old man from Formby and a 18-year-old man from Litherland remain in police ­custody." The police added: "A 34-year-old man from Southport was taken to hospital with facial injuries."

Gerrard's wife, the model Alex Curran, 26, left a coffee shop close to the police station in Southport, but remained silent about her husband.

The timing of the incident could not come at a worse time for Liverpool FC. The club has a real chance of winning the Premier League – it hasn't claimed the title in 19 years. On Sunday Gerrard was the club's star player in a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle, scoring twice, and in interviews after the game he said the club were genuine contenders. The Lounge Inn is situated in a wealthy area of Southport, off the main shopping thorough­fare. The area is known as the bridal quarter as it houses a cake shop, wedding planner and bridal wear shops.

At the neighbouring Lucy Briars bridal shop, staff expressed their dismay.

"The restaurant and bar are upmarket and a pleasant place to go where you can feel comfortable," said an assistant.

The sister of the Lounge Inn's co-owner, Dario Curcillo, said: "As far as I know he comes here regularly and it was just a normal night at the bar. I don't know anything about what happened last night."

A nearby newsagent said: "My milkman told me that there were police officers and forensics outside the club at about 5.30am after a fight had taken place."

Gerrard, who grew up on Huyton's Bluebell estate, has been capped 70 times for England and has captained his country four times. He was made an MBE last year and an honorary fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University.