• Glen Johnson says Liverpool striker has big England chance
• ‘Andy is a big lump but he’s good on the ball and works hard’

Glen Johnson has said that John Terry was “petrified” of Andy Carroll at Anfield on Tuesday and that the Liverpool striker has played himself into contention for England’s Euro 2012 squad with his performances in the last week.

Carroll has struggled for most of the season, appearing to lack confidence and being short of full fitness, but sparked a Liverpool comeback when coming on in the second half against Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday and was a nuisance throughout his team’s 4-1 win over the same opponents on Tuesday night.

The striker set up Daniel Agger’s goal and Terry was booked after being turned by the Liverpool No9 just inside the Chelsea half. Johnson said: “I definitely think Andy has put himself in contention for the England squad. In the last few weeks, Andy has been fantastic. He is unplayable. Chelsea have two big centre-halves and he has thrown them around. Andy looks like he is quicker and is working a lot harder.

“You could see John Terry was petrified at times. Andy is a big lump but he’s good on the ball and works very hard. He will scare a lot of defenders.”

The defender, who is expected to be named in Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 squad on 16 May, suggested that the player had regained his confidence after a difficult year and a half at the club. “You can’t put a price on confidence,” Johnson said. “Obviously, there wasn’t too much pressure on the lads on Tuesday, but we were able to go out and express ourselves and it did look like we were playing with more confidence.”

Carroll suggested that he had benefitted from an extended run in the team and added that he would relish the chance of going to Poland and Ukraine with England. “It was great [against Chelsea]. I enjoyed it all from the very beginning. As you can see from my performances, I’ve been enjoying it for a while, training and everything. I didn’t get a goal, but it was a great result.

“I don’t want the season to end. It would be nice to go to the Euros, but I have one more game to go and we’ll see what happens after that. You can see that I’m more confident now when I step out on to the pitch, and I feel I have shown that in the last couple of games.

“I’ve always been confident of playing well. I just needed a little bit of a run. I’ve been doing well in training and all that lads seem to be enjoying themselves. We have been sticking together and doing well.”

The striker added that he had felt the support of the manager, Kenny Dalglish, throughout the season and that his own confidence had never wavered. “Kenny has shown a lot of faith in me,” he said. “I haven’t had the greatest season but he has stuck by me and defended me. He has encouraged me a lot and has a lot of belief in me.

“I’m confident of doing well all the time. It’s not just the last two games I have played well in. To be honest, I feel I’ve done well in other games. But it’s not just me, it’s the team. Four different players scored against Chelsea, and that shows it is a team effort.”

He added: “The fans were great [against Chelsea]. Losing at the weekend, I didn’t know what it would be like, but from the minute we kicked off, it was fantastic. It felt great to hear them singing my name, and I just can’t wait for next season now.”

Terry, meanwhile, has been supported by his manager, Roberto Di Matteo, who said: “John has been magnificent for us. He has been playing all the games, he has been a leader and everything you want in a captain.”