Reds chase cup double

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists winning today’s FA Cup final against Chelsea should not be seen as a defining moment in the club’s recent history.

Success in knockout competitions this season— having already won the League Cup — has masked problems with their league results.

Dalglish believes a second piece of silverware, having ended a six-year wait, represents progress in itself as Liverpool would become the first club to complete the domestic cup double twice.

But he knows sooner rather than later his side has to address the challenge of regaining a topfour spot if only for the revenue stream, with club accounts published this week recording a near-£50million loss.

Not that he will be mentioning that to his players.

“The players don’t go on the pitch thinking about finance, they are thinking about winning the FA Cup final,” said the Scot.

“It is an achievement to get there and a greater achievement to win it.

“It’s always special when you win a game and somebody puts a bit of silverware in your hand afterwards.

“But I don’t think it’s a defining result for either club.

“They’ve got the cup final and they’ve got the Championsleaguecomingup, so they’re fighting on three fronts (Chelsea are still challenging for the top four) to try to get success.”