Ezequiel Lavezzi fired Napoli ahead in the first-half but, after coming on as a substitute at the interval, Gerrard took the game by the scruff of the neck and produced his most impressive display of what has been a difficult season.
An opportunistic equaliser was followed up by a penalty and a delightful chipped finish to give Liverpool the perfect boost ahead of Chelsea's visit to Anfield on Sunday and continue the club's mini-revival.
The win sends Liverpool top of Group K, while Steaua Bucharest moved from bottom to second with a 3-1 victory over FC Utrecht.
Two late goals from Lech Poznan condemned faltering Manchester City to a 3-1 loss - their third straight defeat - and increased the pressure on manager Roberto Mancini.
With the scores locked at 1-1 following efforts from Dimitrije Injac and Emmanuel Adebayor, City's Group A rivals struck twice in the last five minutes to take the points.
Dedryck Boyata headed against the unwitting Manuel Arboleda to make it 2-1 before Mateusz Mozdzen hit a screamer from the edge of the area to seal it in style.
Juventus were held to a goalless draw by Europa League Group A basement team Salzburg in Turin.
The Italians were the better team in the first half but were denied by some fine saves from Gerhard Tremmel. Salzburg showed more determination after the re-start but failed to make the most of their chances.
The result will be of little comfort for Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri, whose side are winless after recording their fourth consecutive draw in the competition.
Bayer Leverkusen took a big step to reaching the knockout stages by collecting a last-gasp 1-0 home win against Aris Salonika. After the two teams played a scoreless draw on matchday three in Greece, Arturo Vidal scored the only goal of the game in the 90th minute to secure a win for the Germans.
Tiago struck a sensational late winner to earn Europa League holders Atletico Madrid a hard-fought 2-1 win over Rosenborg that lifts Quique Sanchez Flores' men up to second spot in Group B.
Atletico led early on through Sergio Aguero but were pegged back just after half-time by Markus Henriksen's equaliser. However, Tiago stunned the home side in the 84th minute, picking the ball up in the centre circle, skipping past three Rosenborg players before unleashing an unstoppable 30-yard strike into the top corner.
Villarreal dropped from first place to third in Group D after Vieirinha struck PAOK Salonika's decisive goal in a 1-0 win in Greece. In the group's other game, second-half goals from Brazilian midfielder Sammir and Igor Biscan helped Dinamo Zagreb to a 2-0 victory over Club Brugge.
Three goals in seven spectacular minutes saw CSKA Moscow come from behind to beat ten-man Palermo 3-1 and secure their place in the knockout round. Massimo Maccarone gave the Serie A side the lead ten minutes in, but the 31st-minute dismissal of midfielder Antonio Nocerino seriously undermined Palermo's resilience.
Artem Milevskiy was Dynamo Kiev's hero, netting a brace to give their hopes of reaching the last 32 a huge lift with a convincing 2-0 victory over lacklustre AZ Alkmaar.
BATE Borisov sealed their place in the knockout stages of a European competition for the first time with a 3-1 home win over FC Sheriff. Two goals in six second-half minutes from Alexander Pavlov and Renan Bressan sealed the unbeaten Belarus champions' place in the last 32.
Gent gained revenge over ten-man Sporting Lisbon for last month's Europa League thrashing with a 3-1 victory in Group C, while the group's other match saw Lille rescue a 2-2 draw against Levski Sofia, thanks to Ivo Ivanov's late own goal.
Wilfried Bony scored twice as Sparta Prague hit back from behind to beat Lausanne 3-1 in Switzerland and move to the brink of qualifying for the knockout stage.
In Group H, domestically-stuttering Stuttgart booked their place in the knockout phase with two matches to spare by extending their 100% record four games with a 3-0 victory in Getafe. Elseehere, Odense got off the mark at the fourth time of asking as Hans Henrik Andreason struck twice to sink Young Boys in a 2-0 win.
Sampdoria were once again left frustrated by Metalist Kharkiv, whose disciplined defence held firm to earn a goalless draw in their Group I match.
PSV took full advantage of the draw in Genoa, moving to the brink of qualifying for the last 32 with a comfortable 3-0 home win over pointless Debrecen. Goals from skipper Ibrahim Affelay, Jonathan Reis and substitute Stijn Wuytens completed an emphatic victory.
Sevilla powered their way to the top of Group J after thrashing Karpaty Lviv 4-0.The Ukranians' already slim hopes of reaching the knockout stages are now over after they crashed to their fourth successive defeat.
Two goals from Alejandro Alfaro and a brilliant Luca Cigarini free-kick put Sevilla 3-0 up at half-time and Spain striker Alvaro Negredo completed the scoring six minutes into the second half. The group's other contenders, Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund and PSG, played out a scoreless draw in Paris.Porto failed to maintain their 100% Europa League record as they were held to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining clash with Besiktas. Nihat Kahveci's second-half equaliser after Radamel Falcao Garcia's penalty ensured the Turkish side escaped with a point after a second half which saw both sides reduced to ten men.
In Group L's other encounter, Brazilian midfielder Marquinhos finally got CSKA Sofia's Europa League campaign up and running after striking a 64th-minute winner to sink Rapid Vienna.
Zenit St Petersburg clung onto their 100% record in Group G with a narrow 3-2 victory at Hajduk Split which ensured their place in the last 32. The Russians went 3-0 up through Aleksei Ionov, Szabolcs Huszti and Alessandro Rosina, but strikes from Marin Ljubicic and Ante Vukusic set up an intriguing climax.
AEK Athens and Anderlecht shared a 1-1 draw in the other Group G encounter. Ismael Blanco's penalty put the Greek side in the driving seat but the lead lasted just six minutes before Jan Polak levelled.
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