Captain Steven Gerrard has told Liverpool to ‘forget about the title’ and focus on qualifying for the Champions League instead.
The fifth-placed Reds are three points behind city rivals Everton and level with Aston Villa and Manchester City in the battle for fourth.
Amid speculation about the future of manager Rafael Benitez, Liverpool have won only one of their last seven Barclays Premier League games.
Gerrard told the Daily Star: ‘We realise now that we're facing a big challenge to finish in the top four. We've got to forget about the title and focus on fighting for fourth place.
‘There are a lot of teams around us who are in good form and playing well, so it's important that we don't let our standards drop.’
