Lucas sets sights on Cup glory

Brazilian midfielder Lucas believes Liverpool can build on their morale-boosting weekend win over Manchester United by securing a passage into the fourth round of the Carling Cup at the expense of Arsenal tonight.

The Reds' well-earned victory over United on Sunday has silenced the many critics who were about to prematurely write off Liverpool's title challenge - and as the focus turns to Cup action tonight Lucas insists the players are determined to maintain their form and enjoy an extended run in the competition.
 
"Beating United was the perfect day for us and it shows we have quality in our squad," he says. "We played really good football in beating a really good team. They are the champions.
 
"We still have to improve a lot but this victory can give us confidence to go on to Arsenal and Wednesday and win through in the Carling Cup.
 
"We want to be in the final of all the competitions. We don't know what Rafa will do with his team selection, maybe he will make changes as we have a lot of important games at the moment.
 
"But we want to progress as much as we can in the Carling Cup. We know it will be a difficult game as Arsenal are playing some really good football at the moment. They can pass the ball really well, they are creating a lot of chances and scoring a lot of goals.
 
"We want to get through, so we have to produce another good performance like we did against United. With the confidence that we have now, we can show more quality than maybe we were doing when we were losing games."
 
He added: "The United game was more like we were playing towards the end of last season. Before Sunday, we'd maybe been playing a little bit anxiously, but when you lose games your confidence is always going to be a bit lower.
 
"Sunday was an opportunity not only for us to get back in the title race, but to show to ourselves and to our fans that we will be fighting until the last game of the season.
 
"It's too early to talk about the title really, but we've got to make sure that we're in contention around January.
 
"It's a long race. We are six points behind Chelsea. A lot of things can still happen, and the top four will lose points. Tottenham, Villa and City are in good form but they all have to play against each other at some point and they will lose points.
 
"We have to just keep on going. We've shown character and quality against United, and if we can play like that in all the games then it will be really difficult to beat us."
 
Lucas was among Liverpool's star performers during an excellent team display at the weekend - but he insists he is more focused on further developing his game than on revelling in the many plaudits coming his way.
 
"To be honest, I have heard a lot of things said about me, but I don't really read the newspapers," said the 22-year-old. "Maybe I should when people start writing good things about me! But I'm just trying to be focused on my game.
 
"I have the confidence from Rafa. Rafa is really important for me at the moment. He's given me my chance. On Sunday, it wasn't just about me showing quality, it was about the whole team showing it. I still have to improve a lot, but hopefully I can keep playing.
 
"I feel I am growing in confidence this season. I am a totally different player to the one that arrived at Liverpool. I'm still young, and the criticism just makes me stronger to keep working and keep focused because that's the only thing that can help me improve."