Success Measured in the Cups

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish believes that the clubs impressive form in cup competitions this season provides evidence of how well the club have progressed in recent times.

The Scot's side host Gus Poyet's Brighton this weekend in the fifth round of the FA Cup having not lost a single knockout game all season.

"The players deserve every credit," he told the club's official website. "They've had a relatively successful season, they've put themselves in a good position.

"This time last year we weren't in both cup competitions and we weren't as close as four points off fourth spot. We're pleased with what we've done so far but we want to push on and improve where we are."

"The competition has been a bit undermined in recent years, to be perfectly honest," Dalglish added. "For us, it's a pride you take in your football club, if you're playing a game you want to win it.

"We've played a strong team in both cup competitions but we do have a strong squad. Most of the players in the squad have played a significant part in the cup competitions this year. We'll go out to win the game."

Dalglish will not be taking their opposition lightly as Brighton, who knocked Champions League chasing Newcastle out in the previous round, are currently in and amongst the play-off positions in the Championship.

"We have got a really difficult game coming up on Sunday," he added. "We've played them already in the League Cup away and we did particularly well on the night to overcome that, but this will be a hard game.

"Although we have the advantage of being at home with fabulous support behind us, we still need to produce the goods on the pitch. Everybody knows what we stand for, we respect the competition and we respect Brighton.

"They want to play a bit of football, they like to move the ball about and they got a fantastic result against Newcastle in the previous round.

"It's going to be hard for us, we might need to be patient and we'll certainly need to be committed."