Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is happy to be at the end of the constant criticism he gets as it makes him stronger.

The Brazilian midfielder put in one of his best performances in a Liverpool jersey at the weekend as he helped Rafa Benitez's side to a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Anfield.

Often criticised by fans and critics who feel Lucas is not good enough to play for the English giants, the midfielder himself has a different view to it all.

He told the Daily Mirror, "I'm still young. The criticism just makes me stronger and more determined to keep working and keep focused, because those are the only things that can help me improve,

"I've heard a lot of things said about me, but I don't really read the newspapers. Maybe I should when people start writing good things about me! But I'm just trying to be focused on my game.

"I feel I'm growing in confidence this season. I'm a totally different player to the one who arrived at Liverpool.

"I have confidence from Rafa. He is really important for me at the moment and he's given me my chance.

"On Sunday, it wasn't just about me showing quality, it was about the whole team showing it. I still have to improve a lot, but hopefully I can keep progressing."

As for his side's chances against Arsenal in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, Lucas remained in confident mood.

"We want to be in the final of all the competitions," said Lucas. "We don't know what Rafa will do with his team selection. Maybe he will make changes as we have a lot of important games at the moment. But we want to progress as far as we can in the Carling Cup.

"We know it will be a difficult game as Arsenal are playing some really good football. They can pass the ball really well, they are creating a lot of chances and scoring a lot of goals.

"We want to get through and we know we have to produce another good performance like we did against United. With the confidence we have now, we can show more quality than maybe we were doing when we were losing games."