• ‘It’s important that we keep the feelgood factor’
• Liverpool have not won at Arsenal for over 10 years

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool can increase Arsenal’s troubles with their first win at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow night and admits Rafael Benítez’s team must not squander the initiative provided by victory in the Merseyside derby.

Liverpool returned to the top four for the first time since October with Saturday’s 10-man defeat of Everton and can close the gap on Arsenal to just two points with victory at the Emirates.

They have not won at Arsenal in 10 years, when Titi Camara scored in a 1‑0 win at Highbury, but head to London on the back of 17 points from a possible 21 and four consecutive clean sheets. Liverpool’s recent displays have been ­spirited rather than scintillating but Carragher believes confidence has been restored by the manner of victory in the 213th Merseyside derby and that, even with Arsenal and Manchester City away to come, Benítez’s side can strengthen their claims to Champions League qualification.

“In one sense it is more than three points because everyone was buzzing in the dressing room on Saturday, but that can quickly change if we don’t build on the result,” said Carragher. “It’s important that we keep the feelgood factor that we’ve got until after the Arsenal game, and if that is to happen we’ll have to make sure we get a good result. Arsenal have been at the Emirates for a couple of years and I don’t think we’ve had a win there yet. So it’s something we’re going to have to do sooner or later and hopefully Wednesday will be the time. We’re going into it in a great frame of mind, but Arsenal is always a difficult game.”

Sotirios Kyrgiakos will start a three-match suspension tomorrow as a result of his dismissal in the derby but Steven ­Gerrard, echoing Carragher’s sentiments, believes the Everton result can be the foundation for an improved run of form.

The Liverpool captain said: “Arsenal away is always tough but we have used beating Everton as a platform in the past and we’ve got to do it again. We want to extend our run and go on to better things. We know there is a long way to go and we want to make sure we are in the top four at the end of the season.

“It’s performances like Everton that will get you in there. We have got to try and keep this run going, as we can’t afford any slip-ups. There is pressure coming from Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa. There are a couple of very tough games coming up but if we can show what we have done in the last six games, I don’t see why we can’t maintain it.”

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• Carragher recalls time Liverpool crashed out in 2002
• Defender implores Liverpool to ride out tough spell

Of all the injuries and ailments that have hindered Liverpool this season there can be nothing more disturbing for Rafael Benítez than the seven-year itch contracted by Jamie Carragher. It was November 2002 when Liverpool last exited the Champions League at the group stage, as a season that began amid high expectation became a salvage operation all too quickly. A defender of his intuition cannot fail to sense the warnings from history.

“You talk in the dressing room when things aren’t going well. You wonder when the feelgood factor will come back and I have mentioned that time to some of the lads,” the Liverpool defender said. “I’ve spoken to my dad and he said we’ve had five years of winning big trophies, getting to another Champions League final, going close in the league and that this might just be a difficult season. It might be a grind and you have to tough it out, get your head down and fight. That’s not just football. It’s the same in life. It’s no different for us as footballers. You have to keep going and show character.”

Carragher’s grim acceptance of Liverpool’s plight is understandable. Benítez’s team could claim their second win in 11 matches in all competitions against Debrecen tonight and still be in mourning should Fiorentina defeat visiting Lyon to qualify at their expense. So long as hope remains this Liverpool team will fight on, but there is helplessness to their predicament that returns Carragher to 2002.

Liverpool entered the 2002-03 season talking of the Premier League title, their argument backed by a runners-up spot the previous season and a summer of fine-tuning in the transfer market – if spending £20m on El Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou can be called fine-tuning.

Two chastening losses to a sublime Valencia side managed by one Rafael Benítez, who left an indelible impression on the Anfield directors in the process, saw Liverpool floundering in their Champions League group. A stirring recovery from three down to draw in Basle could not prevent demotion into the Uefa Cup, and a run of 11 league games without a win cost them a top-four finish. The reign of Gérard Houllier, who publicly blamed Steven Gerrard for the Basle result and replaced the young midfielder at half-time with Diao, never recovered.

“I have spoken to some of the lads about that season,” Carragher said. “A lot was expected of us then and it didn’t work out. Everyone thinks all we have at Liverpool is great times, but there are ups and downs. Stevie and I know that. You get through it by facing up to it. You get through it by believing you have good players, and in the past four or five years we have shown that. We are not a bad team. We are good team that is just not doing the right things at the moment. At these times you need to show determination and character and it is up to the big players to lead.”

The financial ramifications of exiting the Champions League at this juncture will be sorely felt at Anfield or, more accurately, in the US. While the club can accommodate the impact of Champions League failure in the budget for this season it will not help the American owners’ search for new investors willing to meet their asking price of £100m for a 25% stake to be consigned to the Europa League. On the field, however, Carragher denies a Fiorentina victory tonight would be a calamity for Benítez’s team.

“When you start out you are desperate to get through the group stages, but I don’t think you could call it a disaster if we don’t. Because we have done well in recent seasons people outside the club tend to take it for granted that Liverpool will get into the knockout stages. But it isn’t easy. Manchester United didn’t make it through a few years ago and Barcelona have had a couple of setbacks this season and aren’t sure of making it. It shows how well we have done in the past.

“If we don’t make it through then we have to accept it and move on. Stevie and myself have won the Uefa Cup and it was a great moment. It is still a chance to win silverware and there are some great teams in that competition. Benfica looked really strong against Everton, and Valencia are in it too. Obviously, we are all still hoping we are in the Champions League come Tuesday night. Whatever happens, you have to move on and look forward.”

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