Brendan Rodgers believes that winning the League Cup this season could prove to be the defining moment of his Liverpool tenure.

The Reds, who take on Chelsea in the first leg of the semi-finals at Anfield tomorrow night, are without a trophy since Rodgers inherited the hotseat from Kenny Dalglish in the summer 2012.

However, using Tuesday's opponents as an example, Rodgers has expressed the importance held by a first trophy win.

"Our objective is still to win a trophy and quality for the Champions League. A trophy would help build for the future. Chelsea have showed that once you win a trophy you can go on and sustain it, but [the] first trophy is always the hardest [to win]," he told reporters.

The first trophy won by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in England was the League Cup in 2005, which was a springboard for the club to win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and another League Cup during the Portuguese coach's first stint at Stamford Bridge.