Carragher eyes strong end to season

Liverpool veteran Jamie Carragher hopes the competition for FA Cup final places will fuel a strong finish in the Premier League.

The Reds' dismal league form continued as they lost for the seventh time in 10 games to West Brom last weekend. Yet amid that dispiriting sequence, Kenny Dalglish's men have won the Carling Cup and beaten rivals Everton to reach the FA Cup final. Carragher now hopes the battle among players to play in the next Wembley showpiece against Chelsea will bode well for league fixtures against Norwich and Fulham. The 34-year-old defender told the club's website: "It's all to play for in terms of cup final places, but we're going into these games to get three points because we need to move up the table. "Of course, if you perform well in these games, you have a greater chance of playing in the final. And certainly, we all want to play in the big games. There are two games now before the final and I'm sure the manager will mix it up because the Fulham game is just before the cup final."