CRYSTAL PALACE put a smile on the faces of Liverpool FC supporters this week – and are now desperate for a Wembley showdown with the Anfield outfit.

Palace dumped a disappointing Manchester United out of the Carling Cup on Wednesday night with a 2-1 quarter-final win at Old Trafford.

The Eagles were then paired with fellow npower Championship rivals Cardiff City in the semi-finals, with Liverpool taking on Manchester City in a blockbusting other last-four tie.

And Palace chairman Steve Parish has admitted he hopes both his club and Kenny Dalglish’s side make it through to the Wembley final.

Not least because Dalglish was in charge of Liverpool when they were famously beaten 4-3 by Palace in the FA Cup semi-final in 1990.

Parish feels another encounter between the pair would be great reward for his club after their battles with administration and relegation in recent years.

“I am sure Cardiff were hoping for us,” said the Palace chairman. “They’ll feel they have got a chance and we were hoping for them.

“We could probably make more money out of Manchester City or Liverpool but we have been in one Wembley final in our history.

“It would be absolutely amazing for us to get there. No disrespect to Man City but I have got a soft spot for Liverpool.