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Simon Mignolet has revealed that talk of giving Steven Gerrard the perfect farewell is off limits in the dressing room as Liverpool eye FA Cup glory.

The Reds will face Aston Villa at Wembley a week on Sunday for the right to take on either Arsenal or Reading in the final on May 30.

That date is Gerrard’s 35th birthday and it would also be his last appearance for Liverpool before he heads to America to join Los Angeles Galaxy.

Holding the trophy aloft would be the dream send-off for Gerrard, who will be available for the semi-final after completing his three-match suspension.

His team-mates are fully aware of the significance of securing some silverware but Mignolet says they can’t afford to burden themselves with talk about delivering for the skipper.

Asked if there was extra pressure on the Reds to win the FA Cup for Gerrard, Mignolet said: “No, nobody is talking about it.

“Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that before we speak about the final, we have got to get through the semi-final.

“The only thing we can keep in mind now is how to get past Villa. Then we will see what comes after that. We can’t look ahead to the final, Villa will be tough.

“Stevie is also the first one to acknowledge that we can’t have any extra pressure on the team (to give him the dream send-off).

“He won’t let us think in a different way. We are pleased to get to the semi-final. Once it is semi-final time, we will make sure we are ready for that game.

“We have got to keep doing the things we are doing. The only thing we can do is work hard, focus and keep our heads down.”

We owed the fans a victory after defeat to Arsenal

Mignolet believes the gutsy manner in which Liverpool edged past Blackburn in Wednesday night’s quarter-final replay at Blackburn was the perfect response to the league setbacks at the hands of Manchester United and Arsenal.

The Belgium international admits the players owed the 7,300-strong travelling Kop a performance after what happened in the capital.

“After the Arsenal and Manchester United games, we didn’t have much time to think about getting back to positive ways,” he said.

“Blackburn was a massive game and we needed to respond. It wasn’t easy after the disappointment at Arsenal but the lads picked themselves up and we managed to get the result that everyone wanted so everyone is pleased.

“You saw the away fans turning up in huge numbers and it was great to give something back to them. We have got something to look forward to and we want to make sure that we get to the final. That is what we said in the dressing room before the game and everyone did their jobs.

“We kept two clean sheets in the games against Blackburn and thankfully got the one goal we needed to get us through.”

Coutinho showed his class but we also defended expertly

Philippe Coutinho proved to be the Reds’ match-winner as he scored his sixth goal of the season after exchanging passes with Jordan Henderson midway through the second half.

“Philippe has that ability,” said Mignolet, who played his part with a stunning save to deny Ben Marshall.

“We are very pleased he scored. Blackburn made it tough for us with their aerial ability.

“We knew there were going to be crosses, long balls into the box and we handled that. Everyone did their jobs. We did what the gaffer asked us to do.”

There is still so much to play for

Now preparations are underway for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at Anfield on Monday night.

Defeat to Arsenal appeared to have ended the Reds’ Champions League dream but Manchester City’s subsequent setback at Crystal Palace has given Brendan Rodgers’ men a glimmer of hope.

With seven games remaining, there is seven-point gap to make up with fourth placed City heading to Old Trafford to face United on Sunday.

“There is still a lot to play for,” Mignolet said.

“When you are at Liverpool, you know you have to win every single game.

“After the results against Arsenal and Manchester United, we knew there was going to be criticism. That’s normal. You have to accept that.

“The only thing you can do is respond and we did that. We will enjoy this win but now the focus is on Newcastle. We will do our best to get three points.”