Luton deserved to beat us, admits Liverpool defender Carragher

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The Reds must replay their FA Cup third-round tie with the crisis-hit Hatters after being held to a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road yesterday.

The result was another disappointing one for the club - who have slipped 12 points off the pace in the Barclays Premier League - and their under-pressure manager Rafael Benitez.

But defender Carragher admits the team can have few complaints after a spirited display by the Coca-Cola League One club, who are currently in administration.

"Before the game, we wanted to come here and beat Luton and we should be beating them," Carragher said on the Reds' official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

"But, after the 90 minutes, we're delighted to still be in the cup. We didn't play too well and if anyone deserved to win, it was Luton. We accept that.

"We didn't perform but, at the end of the day, cup competitions are all about results and we are still in the draw for the next round. We would have liked a better result because we are the favourites to go through."

Liverpool were given a stern test by Luton at the same stage two years ago but Benitez's side eventually prevailed 5-3 after a pulsating encounter.

Carragher says he always expected another tough tie and, considering a number of Premier League sides have already been knocked out, he is relieved Liverpool at least have their name in the fourth round draw.

They will play Swansea or non-league side Havant & Waterlooville if they progress.

Carragher added: "Luton is a tough place to come. We knew that from a couple of years ago and, if you look at some of the results from the weekend, maybe the gap between the Premier League and the other leagues is not as big as people think.

"There have been a few shocks and I suppose our result will go down as a bit of a shock because people expected us to win.

"I thought Luton were excellent and you have to give them great credit. They played very well the last time we were down here and they raised their performance again this time."

Luton boss Kevin Blackwell believes his players' spirited display proves the cash-strapped club is worth saving.

Administrators, who have been running the club since November, had set a deadline of 5pm today for potential buyers to come forward.

Administration brought with it a 10-point deduction, a penalty which plunged the club to the foot of the table.

A decent run of form over Christmas has helped their plight, but they still sit in the relegation places, while the players and staff have not been fully paid since October.

Chairman Bill Tomlins had been funding the club's losses out of his own pocket, but that deal expired at the end of 2007.

An Anfield cup replay is likely to earn the Hatters around half-a-million pounds and Blackwell said: "The result means we can hopefully talk to the PFA (Professional Footballers Association) and get the players another two or three weeks' pay in January."

Blackwell now faces the prospect of losing many of his star performers as the club tries to raise cash to secure its long-term future.

He said: "Were trying to make this club look as attractive a proposition as possible for anyone out there. But we need something to happen quickly so I can tell the players what is going on.

"If nothing is done by the 24th or 25th of January then I will have to sell all my players just so we can fulfil the fixtures, but then it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"I think we've shown Luton is a club worth saving, but we need people to get off their backsides and save it."

Asked how much was needed for any potential takeover, Blackwell added: "I don't know the full figures but I would have thought somewhere between £5million and £8million would be a conservative guess."