Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva will miss the rest of the season after injuring his knee in the League Cup win against Chelsea [ Images ] on Tuesday, the Premier League club said.

Lucas was carried off on a stretcher in the second half of the 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge [ Images ] and subsequent scans have revealed damage to his left anterior cruciate ligament.

"The Brazil [ Images ] international will undergo surgery and unfortunately be ruled out for the remainder of the current campaign," Liverpool said in a statement on Thursday.

The holding midfielder, who joined the club from Brazilian team Gremio in 2007, had started 12 of Liverpool's 13 league matches this season.

"I'm having a wonderful time at Liverpool that unfortunately will be interrupted because of this injury," Lucas, 24, said in a separate statement.

"I have never suffered an injury as severe as this. It was a blow to discover I will be out until the end of the season but I will fight to get back as soon as possible."