Simon Mignolet insists Liverpool’s players are not feeling the pressure of trying to give Steven Gerrard a dream send-off – as their captain won’t let them entertain such talk. Victory over Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday enabled Brendan Rodgers’ squad to set up a date with Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final next Sunday and Liverpool are hot favourites to reach the final. The final, against either Arsenal or Reading, will be staged on May 30 – Gerrard’s 35th birthday – and has long been identified as being the perfect afternoon for Gerrard to bring the end down on his glittering Anfield career. Simon Mignolet (left) celebrates with Jordan Henderson after Liverpool reached the FA Cup semi-final . Philippe Coutinho (right) scored the winning goal in a tense 1-0 quarter-final victory against Blackburn . Captain Steven Gerrard, who is struggling to get in the side, will leave Anfield at the end of the season . It has created expectation and Liverpool have made heavy weather of getting to the semi-finals but Mignolet, who was outstanding in the 1-0 win at Ewood Park, maintains they are not thinking too far ahead. Gerrard, for one, won’t let them get carried away. ‘Nobody is talking about it,’ said Mignolet. Stevie is the first one to acknowledge that. Before we speak about the final, we have got to get through the semi-final and that is only possible after getting through here. ‘The only thing we can keep in mind now is how to get past Villa. Then we will see what comes. Villa will be tough. He is the first one to acknowledge that we can’t have any extra pressure on the team (to give him the dream send-off). He won’t let us think in a different way. Gerrard celebrates with Rafa Benitez after inspiring Liverpool to victory over West Ham in the 2006 Final . The Liverpool captain reacts after the Reds are beaten by Chelsea in the 2012 Final at Wembley . ‘We just want to focus on Villa and the games before that. We have got something to look forward to and we want to make sure that we get to the final. That is what we said in the dressing room before the game and everyone did their jobs.’ Liverpool last reached the FA Cup final in 2012, when they lost to Chelsea, and have not won the trophy since Gerrard inspired their 2006 victory over West Ham in Cardiff but they won’t let that opportunity distract their ambitions in the Barclays Premier League. Though they have had their ambitions of finishing in the top four dented by back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal, the picture could change once more this weekend if United win the Manchester derby and Liverpool beat Newcastle on Monday. Liverpool have seen their form slip in the league with consecutive defeats to Man United and Arsenal (above) ‘We are pleased to get to the semi-final,’ said Mignolet. ‘Once it is semi-final time, we will make sure we are ready. But everything comes step by step. Newcastle is next. We are pleased with what we did against Blackburn but the next focus is the league. ‘We will be ready and focused then to make sure we get to the final. The only thing we can do is focus and keep our heads down. We have got to keep doing the things we are doing. There is still a lot to play for. The only thing that we can do is take every game as it comes. ‘When you are at Liverpool, you know you have to win every single game. After the results against Arsenal and Manchester United, we knew there was going to be criticism. You accept that. The only thing you can do is respond and we did that. Now the focus is on Newcastle. We will do our best to get three points.’
Liverpool are set to play Aston Villa in FA Cup semi-finals on April 19.
Steven Gerrard will leave Anfield for LA Galaxy at end of the season.
Simon Mignolet insists Reds are not talking about a dream send off.
READ: Gerrard's FA Cup dream on 35th birthday remains a reality.
Robbie Fowler: Liverpool FA Cup hunt must not be all about Gerrard.