FA Cup

Simon Mignolet: 'Steven Gerrard won't let us dream about FA Cup final'

By Shane Callaghan, Reporter | 09 April 2015

Simon Mignolet says that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has forbidden the team from discussing the prospect of reaching the FA Cup final.

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has insisted that none of his teammates are looking past FA Cup semi-final opponents Aston Villa and dreaming of the final.

The Reds booked their place in Wembley on Wednesday when Philippe Coutinho's 70th-minute winner proved enough to see off Blackburn Rovers and secure a last-four spot.

With Villa fighting for their Premier League lives, Brendan Rodgers's side are expected to reach the final, where either Arsenal or Reading await on May 30.

Should they reach the showpiece, it could represent captain Steven Gerrard's last game in a 17-year senior career at the club, and Mignolet says that the legendary figure has forbidden any talk of the final.

"Nobody is talking about it. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "He is the first one to acknowledge that we can't have any extra pressure on the team.

"He won't let us think in a different way. We just want to focus on Villa and the games before that.

"Before we speak about the final, we have got to get through the semi-final and the only thing we can keep in mind now is how to get past Villa. Then we will see what comes. Villa will be tough."

Liverpool face the Villans on April 19.