Liverpool Midfielder Confident Club Will End Barren Trophy Run

Liverpool will play Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup with the winners set to face either Crystal Palace or Cardiff in the final on 26 February.

The Reds advanced into the last four on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly gave Liverpool their third consecutive win against the Blues in west London and means the club are still on course to end their 16-year wait for a return to Wembley.

Liverpool have not competed at the home of English football since the 1996 FA Cup final loss to Manchester United.

The club's last trophy success came at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, when a Steven Gerrard-inspired Liverpool side beat West Ham on penalties.

But recent signing Jordan Henderson has promised to help end the club's long wait for a Wembley final.

"For such a big club like Liverpool, you would have thought we would have been to Wembley since then," he told the club's official Web site.

"I'm sure it won't be long before we are there again. We've got a two-legged tie to come, and it won't be easy, but if we put the right attitude and commitment into the game then I'm sure we can come away with good results."

Henderson returned to the first-XI for Tuesday's clash against the Blues after missing the match against Manchester City last weekend.

The England Under-21 international played an integral role in Liverpool's first goal; it was his through-ball that released Craig Bellamy to set-up Maxi Rodriguez for the opening goal.

"I might have felt a bit tired in the last five minutes but I was fine," Henderson said.

"We went there with a game plan, we stuck to it and it worked in the end. It has been a brilliant test of character to go there and win both times.

"We were equally as good on Tuesday - the lads were brilliant again. We worked hard from the first minute, every one of us. We worked together as a team and it paid off.

"We kept our heads after missing the penalty, kept going forward and managed to score the two goals."

With Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva facing six months on the side-lines with a knee injury, Henderson will be expected to provide long-term cover in the centre of the park, a position he has made no secret about coveting.

"I've played a lot in central midfield and people might say that's my best position, but I've been playing in numerous positions since I've been at Liverpool and it's a different ball game when you come to a club like this," Henderson told reporters.

"You have to fight for your place every week. I'm lucky enough to be in the team at the moment and I just have to keep on doing my best wherever I am put. It is difficult when you aren't in the team, but that's part and parcel of football - it does hurt you when you are on the bench.

"But it's a team game, and you have to be there for the lads who aren't playing. You'll get your chance if you impress during training, and you have to then take it. Standards are high at a club like Liverpool, but I set my standards very high and I'm sure everybody else at the club does."