Gerrard eyes long-awaited Wembley trip

IT says a lot about the recent demise of Liverpool that the former Kings of Wembley have never played at the revamped national stadium while Manchester United have been there 12 times and Chelsea nine; so it is not difficult to understand why Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City has become so important in the minds of supporters.

There were days in the not so distant past — or certainly they don’t seem so distant to those of us brought up on a constant diet of Liverpool trophy parades and Match of the Day eulogies about the giants of Anfield — when the men in red seemed to begin every trophy collection with a League Cup triumph before following it with a never-ending barrage of finals and titles.

But the current crop, blunted until recently by off-field problems, hopeless owners and ineffective management, haven’t won a single trophy since 2006 and, incredibly, have yet to celebrate under the new Wembley’s giant arch, which has hosted United, Chelsea, Arsenal and even City and Portsmouth more often.