Fighting spirit has been restored, claims Gerrard

LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard believes he and his team-mates have answered their critics after they were written off earlier this season.

Seven defeats in the first four months of the campaign – five more than last year when they finished second to Manchester United – left the club floundering a long way off the pace in the Premier League.

However, a seven-match unbeaten run of five wins and two draws has lifted Liverpool back into the top four for the first time since early October.

“There have been games this season where we have been beaten and not shown enough fight, enough good attitude and commitment,” said the inspirational midfielder. “That’s why we’ve not gotten the results we’ve wanted, but I don’t think anyone can criticise us over the last seven games for the level of commitment.

“Every single player in the squad has rolled his sleeves up and everyone is fighting for the same thing.”

A victory at Arsenal tonight – where they have not won in the league for a decade – would put Liverpool within two points of their third-placed opponents. And Gerrard believes they would not let that slip.

“I’m sure Arsenal will be a bit of a wounded animal,” he added. “It’s a massive game for us and the target is to try to get a result where we can push on and try to get third place.

“Our target is a top-four finish but if Arsenal give us any sniff of catching them then we want to grab it, and hopefully that will be on Wednesday night.”

Liverpool are likely to be without striker Fernando Torres and £18million full-back Glen Johnson for another month, while midfielder Yossi Benayoun is still weeks away from fitness. But in their absence the rest of the squad have pulled together.

“Having the Champions League experience and also finishing in the top four for the past few years will hold us in good stead when the big games come up,” said the 29-year-old.

“But we’re treating every game like a cup final at the moment because we’re desperate for this top four position. We certainly understand the pressure coming from Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa, and also teams behind them,” Gerrard said.

“Because the top four is so important financially to everyone, and because every player in the league wants to experience Champions League football, there’s a lot of teams fighting for it.

“A lot of teams are putting in a lot of money and squads are improving all the time.

“We’ve certainly noticed this year that sides in the middle of the table and below are an awfully lot harder to beat. A couple of years ago, when you played teams lower down the league you would expect to win games comfortably but I don’t think you can say that this season.”

Despite taking one point from the last nine, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists his side still have a realistic chance of winning the Premier League title.

“I sit here in every single press conference and the situation of the moment is like it is forever. Sport is change, movement and we have to accept that,” said Wenger.

“Of course it is realistic to still think we can catch Manchester United and Chelsea – why not?

“Everybody will drop points. We have already played all the big teams.

“We have a long way to go. We still have 13 games to play and 39 points to take. At the moment, it the deficit is a disadvantage, but let’s continue to believe in what we do and play our game with belief.”

Wenger added: “It is our job not to let people think the situation is definite. I can understand people’s conclusions, but our job is to fight and not to give up. We must fight to win the league – if we don’t have that belief, it cannot happen.

He said: “I am sure mathematically it winning the league can happen, and if you look at the fixtures it can really happen.

“But it is down to how much we believe and how much we refuse to give up and how much we can stick together despite all the conclusions.”

Eduardo remains out with a hamstring problem so Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner may offer Arsenal a different option.