JAMIE CARRAGHER believes Liverpool can silence their critics with victory in the FA Cup final over Chelsea.

The Reds have struggled in the Premier League this season with 13 defeats leaving them down in eighth place.

But the experienced defender insists that will be forgotten if they can add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup at Wembley.

“Playing for Liverpool you get a lot of criticism – it comes with the job,” Carragher said.

“We haven’t done well enough in the league but if we finish with two trophies it will be a great season for us. I won’t have anyone tell me any different.

“At the start of the season we were only in three competitions and we all knew we were never going to win the league.

“The target was to finish in the top four. We haven’t reached that target but we are 90 minutes away from picking up a second trophy.

“When people look back in years to come they won’t say that was the year we finished seventh or eighth, they will say it was the year we won both the Carling Cup and the FA Cup.

“We’ve got a decent record in finals and we hopefully we can keep that record going.”

Carragher and skipper Steven Gerrard are the only players to have started in all of the previous rounds en route to the final.

The centre-back is out to lift the trophy for a third time having been part of the 2001 and 2006 cup-winning teams.

“Those two cup finals are great memories,” he said.

“In 2001 that was a massive week for us. We had the UEFA Cup final four days later and then the following weekend we had to win away at Charlton to qualify for the Champions League.

“It didn’t start well against Arsenal. For the first 70 to 75 minutes we weren’t great but the way we won it with those late goals from Michael Owen ensured it would live long in the memory.

“Before Istanbul that was the one game every fan spoke to me about. It was a poor performance but as we’ve done so many times over the years we pulled it out of the bag.

“Again in 2006 we weren’t at our best. It was a warm day and the end of a long season for us.

“I messed up for West Ham’s first goal, then Pepe (Reina) spilled one and we were 2-0 down.

“We fought back and Stevie’s goals got us to extra time. A lot of players were cramping up and we had to dig deep but we found something within us and the fans lifted us.

“My first final was down to Michael, the second one was all about Stevie.”

Carragher believes the FA Cup has suffered over the years as the profile of the Champions League has grown but the defender insists it remains hugely significant.

“I guess it has lost a bit of the glamour because the Champions League has become so big,” he said.

“When there was only one team from each country involved in the European Cup, for everyone else the big cup competition was the FA Cup.

“Now there are four teams from the Premier League in the Champions League. That’s been built up to become what for me is the best competition in football.

“There’s been a knock on effect but the FA Cup is still the greatest domestic cup competition in the world.

“ This final will be watched by hundreds of millions across the world. It will be a special day and even better if we get the win.”