Liverpool Echo: Places on the line

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Kenny Dalglish insists lightning is not about to strike twice. A month ago Liverpool FC headed to Bolton with one eye on an impending Cup double header against Manchester City and Manchester United.

The outcome was a desperate performance and a chastening defeat which was followed by the manager's admission that his players' focus had been elsewhere.

Once again tomorrow Liverpool find themselves going into a game they are expected to win with another huge clash looming on the horizon.

Next Sunday the Reds will grace the new Wembley for the first time in the Carling Cup final against Cardiff City. It's a golden opportunity to end the club's six-year wait for silverware.

However, with that crushing setback at the Reebok still fresh in the memory Dalglish is confident that showpiece final won't prove to be a distraction tomorrow.

Victory over Championship outfit Brighton at Anfield and Liverpool will be in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The boss says that reward should ensure that the Reds are looking no further ahead than facing Guy Poyet's in-form side.

"There's no-one here who enjoyed what happened at Bolton and I wouldn't see any reason why anyone would want to repeat that," he said.

"Every one of them wants to get into the next round but they can't expect that if they repeat the Bolton performance.

"I'm sure when they got the result against City they didn't have the United game in the FA Cup on the Saturday on their mind.

"I think they have got that Bolton game out of their system now. If they don't play as well as they're capable of it's not because the final is coming the following week.

"The target for us is to progress into the next round of the FA Cup."

Liverpool knocked Brighton out of the Carling Cup in the third round back in September.

Goals from Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt settled the tie at the Amex Stadium before Ashley Barnes halved the deficit.

After a lean spell, the Seagulls have re-ignited their promotion push since the turn of the year and are on the fringes of the play-offs. Poyet's side are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions and Dalglish has been impressed by them.

"We played them in the Carling Cup and they were flying then," he said.

"Poyet made a few changes that night, maybe he wanted to give people a game or whatever, but I don't know what he will do here.

"They obviously beat Newcastle in the last round, which was a great result for them. They will come here, sit in, keep it tight and make it hard for us.

"They are a good footballing side too. We need to concentrate and not give them any presents."

It's been a rollercoaster few weeks for Liverpool with the Cup triumphs over City and United and the emphatic league win at Wolves followed by a frustrating draw with Spurs and then last weekend's defeat at Old Trafford.

With the Reds still chasing silverware on two fronts and in the race for Champions League qualification, Dalglish knows consistency is going to be vital.

Key to achieving their targets is improving their home form. Of the 12 Premier League clubs to travel to Anfield this season, eight have gone away with a share of the spoils. A record like that gives visitors hope.

"The performances at home have been a lot better than the results," Dalglish said.

"The stats will tell you that as well - the number of shots we have had on target, the times we have hit the woodwork or the keeper has made a fantastic save.

"For us, if we could put a finish to what we are creating then it would be a really good story and we will continue to try our best to do that.

"Defensively, we are pretty sound and we have improved. We should be saying the same attacking wise and we have had plenty of chances. We just have got to put that right.

"We will do our best to do that. I think we are on the right road. The positives far outweigh the negatives on the pitch this season.

"We have drawn eight at home. If we had won four and lost four, people would be moaning more but we would have more points.

"We are in a much better position this year than we were a year ago when we were out of the FA Cup, out of the Carling Cup and tailed off in the league.

"Now we're four points off fourth spot, the fifth round of the FA Cup is coming up and we are in the Carling Cup final. We still have an awful lot to play for."

Source: Liverpool Echo

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.