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Danny Ings has shone like a ray of light amid the darkness.

Twice over the past week the new Liverpool striker has accepted the acclaim of the Kop.

Twice he has walked away from Anfield clutching the man-of-the-match champagne.

As Brendan Rodgers’ troubled reign lurches closer to crisis point, Ings has shown the way to the underachieving team-mates around him.

Having opened his Liverpool account after coming off the bench against Norwich last weekend, the 23-year-old frontman doubled his tally in Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup tie with Carlisle United.

Crucially, Ings also netted in the penalty shoot-out after informing Rodgers he wanted to take the pivotal fifth spot-kick.

Where others have hidden during tough times, Ings has put his hand up and taken responsibility. His enthusiasm and hard graft, as well as his quality, has endeared him to the supporters.

“As a player it is huge to have the support behind you and the fans singing your name definitely helps to build confidence,” Ings said.

“I always thought I would build a good relationship with the fans because of my pressing and the hard work I do off the ball.

“It is always good when fans can relate to that. It really does help the team, if one guy goes to press and the crowd gets behind you the whole team lifts.

“To get man of the match is always appreciated, but for me it is about hard work and results. The team is the most important thing for me.”

From seemingly fourth in line to centre stage

When Rodgers asked for volunteers for the penalties against Carlisle, Ings didn’t hesitate.

“I asked for the fifth,” he said. “I took great confidence from the header in the game and I had a couple of other chances. A few of them just didn’t come off but I was extremely confident.

“I always like to go fifth because I like to challenge myself in every situation. We got through the shoot-out and that is all that matters.”

Ings looked set to be the Reds’ fourth-choice striker behind Christian Benteke, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi when he joined from Burnley this summer.

The Winchester-born frontman didn’t feature in the opening three league games but with Benteke injured, Sturridge still building up his match fitness and Origi struggling to impress, he has taken centre stage.

A first home league start for Liverpool awaits when Aston Villa visit Anfield on Saturday. Now fans are looking to Ings to lift the gloom but he’s unfazed by that burden.

“I think pressure is maybe a strong word,” he said. “I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as an opportunity.

“My whole career I’ve been waiting for opportunities at every level, so it is appreciated that I am getting chances to play as a striker and to be part of the team.

'Expectation is a fuel to motivate myself'

“In the summer I knew this was the club I wanted to join – the sheer size of the club, the fanbase, the players who are here, the press off the ball, the runs in behind, the creative players behind me, I think it suits my style of play and my mentality.

“The expectation is a lot greater at a club like Liverpool than where I have come from, but I find that a real positive. I use it as a fuel to motivate myself to do well.

“I really believe in marginal gains as a professional – every day coming in to learn. I have been brought up to make sure that when opportunities like this arise I am ready for the occasion.

“Everyone who plays for Liverpool has to accept the responsibility that goes with it. I take great pride in putting the shirt on.”

Off the field, Ings is equally settled. He still lives in Greater Manchester but frequently stays in Woolton with his long-term girlfriend Ellis Duke.

“She’s not a Liverpool fan, her family are all tennis fans,” he said.

“It’s quite refreshing that her family aren’t familiar with football. But they are very supportive of me and she was there on Wednesday night.”

'We got the job done and we're going to hold our heads up high'

The limp manner in which Rodgers’ side edged past League Two outfit Carlisle triggered another torrent of criticism.

However, Ings doesn’t subscribe to the idea that Liverpool are suffering from a crisis of confidence ahead of the showdown with Tim Sherwood’s struggling Villa side.

“Everyone was just relieved that we got into the next round,” he said.

“All that mattered was getting the result. On another night we could have won that 3-0 or 4-0.

“I have been in Carlisle’s position, playing against a bigger team in the cup, so I half-expected it to be a tough game.

“We had 53 shots and most of them were from outside the box so I think it just shows how deep they sat in. When teams do that it is so hard to break down but I thought our mentality and professionalism was top drawer. We got the job done and we won, no matter how we did that.

“I think the way that I press the game it might be easier on the eye for the fans to see, but for me the whole team is working hard. It has just been a little bit of a tough patch.

“Every team goes through little spells like this every now and again but the important thing is that we are creating chances and playing good football.

“Moving forward we are going to hold our heads up high and have a real go from here on in.”

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