Kenny: Craig always delivers

Kenny Dalglish has hailed Craig Bellamy after the Welshman's pin-point delivery for Andy Carroll's header sent Everton crashing out of the FA Cup and helped secure Liverpool a place in the final. Bellamy fired a cross from wide into the heart of the penalty area and Carroll towered above Marouane Fellaini to turn the ball past Howard. And a delighted Dalglish revealed that it was a case of practice makes perfect for the man who hones his free-kick taking capabilities each week at Melwood. "Craig's delivery for Andy's strike was perfect," Dalglish wrote in his LFC Weekly Magazine column. "It always is when the ball finishes in the back of the net. His delivery is normally great; that is because he practises it so much in training. "It shows that what you do on the training ground pays off. It's not the first time Craig has delivered a ball like that. He's delivered lots of good set-pieces this season. He did it at Chelsea in the Carling Cup when Martin Kelly scored." Before the all-Merseyside showpiece, deputising 'keepers and dismissals dominated discussion; post match, there was nothing but applause and approval for the man who made his first Liverpool start since December 2010 on an historic day for the club. Brad Jones was assured and dependable throughout an intense 90 minutes for the Reds and Dalglish believes the plaudits for that must go to goalkeeping coach John Achterberg for his work behind the scenes with the club's stoppers. "Seeing Brad do well was particularly pleasing," wrote the manager. "I know he came on at Blackburn, but it's been a while since he started a first team game. Both him and Doni are a credit to themselves. "They've both looked sharp and confident. How they've performed has been a good reflection of the work John Achterberg has done with them. "It's unusual for two keepers to be required in such a short period of time. People sometimes ask, 'why do you need three goalkeepers?' It's in case of situations like this. If we hadn't had (Jones and Doni) we might have had to put in one of the youngsters from the Academy. "A situation like that could ruin a young boy's career. We were fortunate that we didn't have to consider it."