Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have given manager Rafael Benitez a postChampions League boost by signing new four-year contracts with the club.

Club captain Gerrard and viceskipper Carragher have signed deals which extend their stay at Anfield until at least 2011.

Carragher told the club's official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv: "I am very pleased. Obviously we are both local lads and I've always said I wanted to stay here for the rest of my career.

"I have signed for four years and hopefully I can still be a regular in the team. That's the aim anyway." Gerrard added: "I'm really pleased too. The negotiations have gone really smoothly.

"Although they have been spoken about for a couple of weeks, I think it's happened pretty quickly. I'm just pleased to get it out of the way and we look forward to next season now.

"Hopefully over the next four years we can deliver a lot more trophies."

Liverpool recently lost the Champions League final 2-0 to AC Milan, but having beaten the Italians to lift the trophy two years ago the Reds' are now turning their attention to climb higher up the domestic pecking order. Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have been the league pacesetters in recent seasons, but Benitez and American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks will see Gerrard and Carragher's new deals as a step towards changing that situation.

England midfielder Gerrard added: "I think these are exciting times at the football club with the takeover and the new stadium.

"I don't see why we can't go from strength to strength and win a load more trophies, not just the Premiership but more cups as well.

"Having said that, we can't get away from the fact that the Premiership is the one we want."