Liverpool 1 Everton 0: Carragher: We will need to build on derby win at Arsenal

A resolute rearguard action in the 213th Merseyside derby, for which they played more than 55 minutes with 10 men after Sotirios Krygiakos's dismissal, ensured Dirk Kuyt's 50th goal for the club won the match.

A seven-game unbeaten Barclays Premier League run has brought 17 points and six clean sheets, lifting them into the top four for the first time since early October.

But they face a tough test on Wednesday when they travel to Arsenal, where they have not won in the league in three days short of a decade.

Manager Rafael Benitez will allow his players a couple of days to enjoy the derby victory, their fifth in the last six, before concentrating on the Gunners.

Bootle-born Carragher, who played in his 25th meeting between the neighbours, knows how important the victory was for morale.

"It is not just three points, it has a massive impact and everyone is buzzing," said the 32-year-old. "But that can change if the result doesn't go our way at Arsenal.

"We beat Manchester United (in the league) and then played Arsenal in the Carling Cup and lost.

"It is important we keep that feelgood factor after the Arsenal game and that will be by making sure we get a good result.

"We are going into the game in a great frame of mind but

Arsenal away is always difficult."

Saturday's derby was low on quality football but high on incident. In the first half alone there could have been three red cards.

Had referee Martin Atkinson seen Marouane Fellaini's stamp on Kyrgiakos as the Greek defender went in two-footed the Belgian could have been sent off in the same 35th-minute incident which rightly accounted for the Liverpool centre-back.

Prior to that, Steven Pienaar was lucky to escape with just a caution for a tackle that started at Javier Mascherano's right knee and ended about mid-shin.

In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Pienaar was shown a second yellow card for jumping into Stephen Gerrard.

Reds manager Rafael Benitez said he did not want to comment on either the performance of referee Atkinson or the ferocity of some of the challenges which went in on his players.

"I think there were too many tackles which you can analyse so I prefer not to speak about the referee," he added.

"You can talk about 20 different tackles and you will have different opinions so I prefer not to say anything."