I'm UP for the cup - and the Premier League as well!

CHIESA HOPES HE'S SENT THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO SLOT AFTER STARRING ROLE IN WIN OVER SAINTS

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IF the broad smiles of Federico Chiesa have been a feature since his move to Liverpool last year, there was even more reason for his wide-eyed delight on Tuesday evening.

Liverpool stardom hasn't looked exactly like it did in the brochure since he joined from Juventus in late August last year in a deal worth up to £12m.

His first season was beset by fitness problems and a difficulty adjusting to the unique intensity of Premier League football and the Italian made just one start as a result, at Brighton in early May after the title had already been secured.

Six Premier League appearances in total have almost been equalled already this season, with the former Fiorentina man making four from the bench, including a dramatic 88th-minute intervention against Bournemouth on the opening night back in mid-August, when he expertly volleyed home to make it 3-2.

But if Chiesa is to have any longevity at Anfield, the Carabao Cup will likely be his salvation. Excluded from the initial 23-man Champions League squad on a technicality over a lack of homegrown players meaning Arne Slot had to choose teenager Rio Ngumoha over his more experienced colleague - the 27-year-old is also having to catch the eye of his coach with Mohamed Salah ahead of him in the pecking order.

And with the FA Cup not on the calendar until January, the forward is left with little choice but to grasp the opportunities afforded to him in the League Cup with both hands.