LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Andrew Johnson is aiming to exorcise the demons lingering from one of the worst moments of his career by helping to fire Everton into the League Cup final at Chelsea's expense here on Wednesday.

Johnson's penalty shootout miss for Birmingham handed Liverpool the trophy after a 1-1 draw in the 2001 final and the England striker is determined to secure another chance of a winner's medal in the competition.

For that to happen, Everton must overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit and their on-form striker believes a sell-out crowd can roar the Toffees all the way to Wembley.

"There will be a fantastic atmosphere," Johnson said. "Everyone knows it's a tough place to come, with 40,000 fans screaming away.

"It's been hard for sides here over the last few years and we can use that to our advantage. Arsene Wenger said he doesn't like coming to our place. It would be nice if (Chelsea boss) Avram Grant was saying the same.

"But we're not worried about them, just us and I'm sure that will be enough on Wednesday."

Johnson, who turns 27 next month, is now entering the peak years of his career and he believes that his progress has actually been helped by the experience of missing that crucial penalty at the Millennium Stadium.

"I stepped up for the sixth penalty because I don't think anyone else wanted it," he recalled. "When you're young you don't have fear but I do remember Michael Grainger had taken the second penalty and missed.

"I'd seen the tears rolling down his cheeks and thought 'If that's what it can do to an experienced 29-year-old, what's it going to do to me?

"It was a half-hearted penalty. But it's made me more determined and it made me a stronger person. It was one of the worst moments of my career."

A 1-0 win would be enough to put Everton into their first domestic final since they won the 1995 FA Cup.

But they will be up against opponents who have defied an injury crisis and the loss of four players including Didier Drogba to the African Nations Cup, to put together a run of six successive wins.

Since losing at Stamford Bridge, Everton have ground out wins over Manchester City and Wigan and manager David Moyes admits he and his squad have been preoccupied with Wednesday's clash.

"I think that game has been in the back of my mind and I think it has with the players as well," said the Scot. "We have not been in loads of semi-finals so maybe we are fixated by it and we know what is waiting if we can get a result.

"So at Wigan we needed to get away with as little damage as we could and get a result and we have done that."

Chelsea will be without Shaun Wright-Phillips, one of their most impressive performers in recent weeks, after the England midfielder succumbed to an ankle injury sustained in Saturday's 1-0 win at Birmingham.

Hopes that Frank Lampard, who has been sidelined by a thigh injury, could return were dashed with Grant confirming on Tuesday that the England midfielder had suffered a setback which will keep him out for two more weeks.

Skipper John Terry (foot) and striker Andriy Shevchenko (ankle) are also both still sidelined while African Nations duty has deprived Avram Grant of Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel, as well as Drogba.