Kenny Dalglish has hailed Andy Carroll following Liverpool's win over Manchester City.
The lofty striker was one of several stand-out performers for the Reds as they took the advantage from the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final at the Etihad Stadium this evening.
Speculation was rife over Carroll's Anfield future prior to clash with the Premier League leaders before his agent dismissed the prospect of a premature return to Newcastle United.
And Dalglish, speaking after the game, believes that the 23-year-old's self-sacrifice during the second half, as well as that of his team mates, was commendable as Liverpool have the upper hand.
He said: "He worked fantastically hard for us and sacrificed himself for the sake of the team.
"If our players continue to work as hard as they did tonight, every one of them, if we want to move in the right direction then it's a great start for us.
"For us, we've got an advantage, we appreciate the advantage but it won't mean that we've got anywhere until the whistle blows at Anfield."
Liverpool have become the second team in three days to leave the Etihad triumphant, following in the footsteps of fierce rivals Manchester United's FA Cup win on Sunday.
Dalglish believes that the quality his players showed in grinding out a victory in addition to a clean sheet at a stadium where the hosts had averaged three goals per game underlined the determination and quality of their performance.
"There's not too many teams that come here and get away with nothing," added the Kop boss.
"Man City, in most of their games, have averaged three goals here, so for us to come away with no goals in their column was fantastic for us.
"It was two different performances but equally as determined, ambitious and loads of desire for both of the performances.
"If you're going to come here and get a result, you need to be good because you can't be lucky all the time.
"You have to be good, you have to be determined and I think everything to get a result here tonight, we got."
Turning attention to the return leg at Anfield on January 25, Dalglish said: "As long as we were within range, I think there was always going to be a fantastic evening at Anfield to look forward to.
"Let's hope it's got a happy ending."
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