SEBASTIAN Larsson has admitted that Blues’ Carling Cup heroics have had a positive knock-on effect.

After the 5-0 bashing at Manchester United, when Alex McLeish rested several regulars, Blues recorded that memorable semi-final victory over West Ham United.

Then a gallant draw against Manchester City, when Blues finished the match the stronger and better side, was followed up by back-to-back wins for the first time in 14 months.

“The cup hasn’t been a distraction, it has really given us a lift, getting through that game, the fans, the players – everyone – and we’ve been on a decent run since,” said Larsson.

“I wouldn’t say there’s an extra edge among the players because the final is close.

“Everyone wants to play for Wembley, but I don’t think it is because of that.

“We’ve had a couple of new faces come in and we realised we’ve been in real trouble.

“We’ve been flirting with the relegation zone for a while and I think we are better than that, so let’s hope we can keep producing good results.