Comment: Jame Carragher wakes up to brighter days

THEY were heroes in red all across the Anfield turf. In the face of adversity this was a performance of remarkable spirit and character as Rafa Benitez's side breathed new life into a flagging campaign.Nobody epitomised those qualities more than Jamie Carragher.The shattered skipper's clenched fists and look to the heavens at the final whistle told a story.There was joy and relief in equal measure as the club's worst run for 22 years had been halted in glorious fashion.Nobody has been hurt more than Carragher by the Reds' miserable start to the season. After each demoralising setback the 31-year-old has had the pain of defeat etched across his face.Carragher's honest admission that at times he has slipped below his usual high standards has been pounced on by critics. His age has been used as a stick to beat him with and he's copped plenty of unfair flak for the Reds' shortcomings.The centre-back is his own biggest critic and spends hours watching re-runs of matches and examining his own performance.'I know when I've had a bad game because I can't get to sleep at night thinking about it,' he admitted.It's fair to assume the Bootle-born defender slept soundly last night.Fernando Torres provided the touch of class and David Ngog put the icing on the cake but the inspiration came from Carragher.With every crunching tackle, brave block and towering header from their captain, Liverpool grew in confidence.Carragher was a colossus and as he put his body on the line countless times in the closing stages it brought back memories of a memorable night in Istanbul.Crucially, he also prevented his old mate Michael Owen from providing a devastating late twist in the tale with a perfect rugby tackle. It was the most vital booking of Carragher's career.This was also a personal triumph for Benitez.The Spaniard has made a habit of pulling off results when his back has been against the wall over the past five years and he did it again.A fifth straight defeat wouldn't have triggered his demise but it would certainly have dashed any remaining hope of challenging for the Premier League title.If visiting co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks were wondering whether the manager still had the support of the players and supporters, the answer was emphatic.

Source: Liverpool_Echo