Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has praised Craig Bellamy's impact in the FA Cup semi-final and believes the Welshman provides an ideal model for the club's youngsters to aspire to.

Bellamy supplied the delivery for Andy Carroll's late winner against Everton at Wembley on Saturday, as the Reds sealed their second cup final appearance of the season.

Bellamy has been one of Dalglish's most successful signings since arriving at Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer, scoring six goals in 24 appearances, and the Scot revealed his recent performances reflect the amount of time the player spends at the club's Melwood training ground every day.

Kenny Dalglish
Liverpool's manager Dalglish celebrates winning as his Everton counterpart Moyes reacts after their FA Cup semi-final match in London. REUTERS

"Craig's delivery for Andy's strike was perfect," Dalglish told the official Liverpool Web site. "It always is when the ball finishes in the back of the net. His delivery is normally great; that is because he practises it so much in training.

"It shows that what you do on the training ground pays off. It's not the first time Craig has delivered a ball like that. He's delivered lots of good set-pieces this season. He did it at Chelsea in the Carling Cup when Martin Kelly scored."

At 32 Bellamy was the oldest of Dalglish's signings this summer but the manager claimed his previous bad publicity could not dissuade him from offering the player a second chance at Anfield. "He's a player I have always admired," the Liverpool manager said in November. "I'm not worried about what has happened in the past, we'll just focus on the good bits."

And although the days are gone when Bellamy could play in every game, Dalglish insists he can still play a pivotal role in a busy end to the season, as he implored his squad to disregard all thoughts of the FA Cup Final against Chelsea on 5 May and focus on winning as many games as possible in the coming weeks.

"It's now a case of getting ourselves back down to earth after Wembley," said Dalglish. "We've not got much experience of dealing with big games and the matches that follow it. A few of the lads have been through it, but mainly we are a new team and this is a new test for the majority.

"We were delighted with the response after winning the Carling Cup (in February). "The following weekend we went out and produced one of our best performances of the season against Arsenal. With a bit more luck we would have enjoyed a very good win (Liverpool lost 2-1)."

He added: "Now we're just off the back of another good result at Wembley, and we want a similar response, albeit with a different result."

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