HIGH 'N MIGHTY ... Jamie Carragher
The Kop idol was outstanding in Sunday’s win over
Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Rafa Benitez’s men brought down the
curtain on the Blues’ 86 league game unbeaten run and took a
three-point lead in the championship.
And even though it has been 19 years since they last
claimed the crown, Carragher insists this team can handle the
pressure. He said: “People will be talking about us a bit more now
because we are top of the league. “But we have to live with that.
It’s a different kind of pressure but it’s what we are in it for
and we have to cope with that.
“We haven’t had that pressure for a while now but if we
want to be successful then we’ve got to cope. “Teams are going to
want to knock us off there, we know that, but that’s part of the
game.”
While the travelling fans at the Bridge celebrated as
if they had won the title and not just the game, the players were
more low key.
There is a good reason for that according to Carra —
there is still a lot of work to be done. The centre-back said: “It
was a great result for us as they have an amazing record at home.
“It’s the first time I have ever won at Chelsea — and I have been
going there for more than 12 years. “It’s always been a tough place
to go to but I’m delighted that we are the team that has broken the
record.
“Our reaction was not ecstatic — it was just a job
done. We’re delighted with the position we are in, top after nine
games. “But we should not get too carried away with it. “We are a
massive, top club with a lot of great players, so we are only doing
what we should be doing.”
But Carragher still has a stark warning for his
team-mates. After all, they beat huge rivals Manchester United at
Anfield earlier in the season and then followed it with a
frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Stoke.
For that reason, Carra is already focusing on the
challenge of Portsmouth tomorrow night before visiting Tottenham on
Saturday. The 30-year-old admitted: “We are not getting carried
away. Don’t get me wrong it was a good result. It’s something no
other side has achieved in over four years, so it’s to be enjoyed,
but we have to capitalise on it now.
“Not just live on the fact that we got a great result
at Chelsea. “It was disappointing to draw with Stoke and there was
a lot of talk at the time that we were getting complacent — but
that kind of thing happens.
“We were very unlucky against Stoke. If we played that
game again, nine times out of 10 we would win it. “But for most of
the season now we have done quite well.
“We have got Portsmouth and then go to Spurs. “There’s
a lot of stuff going on at both of those clubs at the moment and
you never know how they are going to react. So the next two games
are going to be very tough but we have got to go for maximum
points.
