Kenny Dalglish has insisted that he treats the Carling Cup with "respect", and urged other top teams to do the same.

The Reds boss has fielded strong sides throughout the tournament, where some other top teams use it as an opportunity to give inexperienced players some game time.

"I don't think the competition has regained the credibility from years gone by," Dalglish said.

"I think we have treated it with respect but the teams that have treated it with respect are few and far between.

"We have treated it very seriously. We've used 20-odd players to get there so every member of the squad bar a couple has made a contribution."

Liverpool face Cardiff City in the Carling Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.