Sterling's confidence for Stamford Bridge
Liverpool believe they can travel to Chelsea for the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final and win next week, explained goalscorer Raheem Sterling after the opening match of the tie.
A place at Wembley will be decided in the return at Stamford Bridge, following an action-packed 1-1 draw between the Barclays Premier League rivals on a freezing evening at Anfield.
Eden Hazard had grabbed an advantage for the visiting Blues from the 12-yard spot, but Sterling's superbly-taken equaliser earned Brendan Rodgers' charges the least they deserved.
The manager later spoke of his confidence in progression to the showpiece occasion merely being reinforced by the dominant display, a sentiment shared by the Reds' No.31.
"Obviously we were disappointed to be 1-0 down going into the break," Sterling reflected to Liverpoolfc.com inside the tunnel at the stadium.
"But the lads stuck in there really well and played some great football at times. We kept the ball really well and exploited the space. We could have gone on and won the game.
"But it's not the worst result - we'll go into next week's game fully focused, knowing we can win there. Hopefully we'll play our best and try to get the result.
"[We have to] play our normal game, try to keep the ball, be patient and don't try to rush things. We know we'll get chances there.
"It is down to us to keep focused over the next few days and go into the Bolton game, that's the most important one now.
"Hopefully we can get the result there and then think about Tuesday when it comes. We just need to play our normal game and everything else will follow."
Sterling's seventh strike of the campaign was engineered by his stunning acceleration and confidence to run a path through and beyond the opposition.
The eventual finish was well-placed too and though the forward himself acknowledged some fortune, he felt the approach typified the youthful exuberance within Liverpool.
Assessing his conversion, he said: "Jordan [Henderson] passed me the ball, I got to the edge of the box and thought I would shoot.
"It scuffed into the back of the net so it was a lucky finish, but it was good to get on the scoresheet and help the team get the draw in the end.
"There are quite a few young lads in the group; I thought everyone stepped up to the plate and played some good football at times, really comfortable on the ball.
"We didn't show the senior players in the Chelsea team too much respect and that's great to see. Hopefully we can carry that on into the next game."
This was Sterling's second appearance since a short break in the New Year, when the 20-year-old was given time off as the Reds defeated AFC Wimbledon and then Sunderland.
"The manager planned it from the beginning for me to get a little break, because I have played quite a lot of minutes," he explained.
"I come back now fully focused and ready to go again. Hopefully I can help the team as much as possible, if it's scoring or assisting or doing something to try to get the best result for the team."