The 20-year-old has been moved into a key focal point of the club’s attack in recent weeks, and scored against Chelsea, but he insists the team performance is all that matters

Raheem Sterling has insisted he is not looking to replace Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s “main man”.

The 20-year-old rose to prominence last season as Brendan Rodgers’s side mounted a serious, but ultimately unsuccessful, Premier League title tilt with the youngster a key player.

Sterling has been used sparingly during January, returning with an assist against Aston Villa before scoring a fine solo effort against Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday.

Despite being moved into a central and key focal point of Liverpool’s attack in recent weeks, Sterling distanced himself from tags as the club’s more dependable player.

“I try not to think about that too much,” he told reporters. “Everyone in the team contributes and I’m no different. We are a team.

“I’m not trying to pick up a ‘main-man status’ this season. As long as the team wins and we get good performances, that’s all that matters to me.”

On his new role, he added: “I’m learning. You have to adapt to different positions and that’s something I’m keen on doing.

“When I get in front of goal sometimes I get a bit excited, thinking ‘I’ve done it all’. But it’s about keeping focus, trying to get my game to the next level and trying to chip in with more assists and more goals.

“I have a personal goals target, but I don’t want to share that in case I don’t reach it! Obviously I always set myself goals and standards that I want to meet and that’s no different this season.”

A 1-1 draw in Tuesday’s first leg at Anfield leaves the Reds needing to secure their place the hard way at Stamford Bridge but the 20-year-old remains upbeat

Raheem Sterling remains confident Liverpool can reach the League Cup final following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the first leg of their semi-final clash at Anfield.

Having fallen behind to an Eden Hazard penalty after 18 minutes Liverpool began to control proceedings and got their reward just before the hour as Sterling fired them level in sensational style.

After the match the 20-year-old insisted he felt the hosts deserved more than the scoreline suggested and added that he still harbours firm hopes of a Wembley appearance.

“Obviously we were disappointed to be 1-0 down going into the break,” he told the club’s official website.

“But the lads stuck in there really well and played some great football at times. We kept the ball really well and exploited the space. We could have gone on and won the game.

“But it’s not the worst result – we’ll go into next week’s game fully focused, knowing we can win there. Hopefully we’ll play our best and try to get the result.

“[We have to] play our normal game, try to keep the ball, be patient and don’t try to rush things. We know we’ll get chances there.

“It is down to us to keep focused over the next few days and go into the Bolton game [in the FA Cup], that’s the most important one now.

“Hopefully we can get the result there and then think about Tuesday when it comes. We just need to play our normal game and everything else will follow.”

The Chelsea manager believes that the Premier League will be poorer for the Reds captain’s imminent departure for LA Galaxy

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says that he is “sorry” to see Liverpool hero Steven Gerrard leaving the Premier League at the end of the season, but jokes he might loan him from LA Galaxy.

The Reds captain has announced a deal to join the Major League Soccer champions once the Reds’ 2014-15 campaign is over, a decision which surprised the Blues boss.

Mourinho had been close to signing Gerrard during his first spell at Stamford Bridge in 2005 and applauded along with the home fans when he was substituted during Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea in Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final first leg.

“I’m not happy he leaves,” the Portuguese told BBC Radio 5 Live of Gerrard. “I would love the Premier League to keep always the best players.

“I think he has more than enough quality to play in the Premier League. In spite [of the fact] he’s my opponent, I feel sorry that he’s leaving.”

Long-serving Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard’s stay at Stamford Bridge ended last summer, only for him to join Manchester City in a successful temporary spell, and Mourinho was happy to joke about the possibility of a similar swoop for Gerrard.

Asked if he might try to persuade the Liverpool star to stay in England, the Blues manager replied: “Or to get him on loan.”