CARRA: TORRES RETURN IS MASSIVE BOOST

Jamie Carragher today spoke of his delight after Fernando Torres returned with a goal against Preston at the weekend.

Torres missed the whole of December with a hamstring injury, but made the perfect return at the weekend as he came off the substitute's bench to net the crucial second goal in the final minute at Deepdale. Liverpool now face Everton in the fourth round of the competition as they embark on a crucial second half of the campaign - and Carragher is thrilled to have El Nino back to aid the quest for silverware. "Having Torres back has given everyone a big lift,” he said. "It is great when you see a player of that calibre coming back for the second half of the season. "Hopefully, the time he has been out will refresh him because he had a long season with the Euros. "A lot of players have played a lot of games this season because the manager hasn't changed it around so much and it will be good to have someone like him to come back in. "It has been a feather in the cap for everyone concerned with the club that we have reached the top of the table without having the best striker in the world over the last 12 months for periods. "You miss a player of that quality, but it will give us a lift to have him out there." Carragher was pleased to ensure safe FA Cup progress at the expense of Preston on Saturday - but he admits the Reds were taken all the way by Alan Irvine's men. "We can play better than that, but the other team always raises its game in the FA Cup," he added. "We have found these sort of matches difficult in recent years - Luton, Burnley, Barnsley - so we are pleased to get through against a good Championship side. "In the second half they put us under a lot of pressure and took us to the last minute. There was a bit of a scramble just before we scored the second so it could have gone either way. Great credit to Preston."