Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has conceded the Premier League title race is now a two-horse race between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Liverpool have dropped to third in the Premier League table after losing 2-0 at Everton in midweek, the continuation of a poor run of form that has seen the Reds win one of their last four in the league and exit Europe.
The Merseysiders are two points behind second-placed Manchester City, having played a game more than the champions, and three adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Klopp has admitted it would take a huge collapse from both teams during the run-in for his side to end the season on top, but insists Liverpool will look to win their final four fixtures, in case of an unlikely slip from the top two.
“I cannot sit here and say [Manchester and Arsenal] still feel us around. I think even Arsenal and City see it as a two-horse race,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference, ahead of facing West Ham at the London Stadium tomorrow.
“We might have to say something else publicly, but they don’t expect for themselves to lose two games from now on, I don’t think so.
“I don’t expect them to do that. If they do it, then we would be completely silly if we were not around. So, I don’t think it will happen but if it happens, then we should be there. That means we have to win our games – starting with West Ham.
“Did anyone expect us to become champions at the start of the season? No, but it developed in this direction.
“We go now to Aston Villa, they still have a few points less than us, so we need points still to be definitely [qualified for Champions League places], also Tottenham. Nobody here is happy at all.
“Just to explain how different it is. We cannot go back to the point where we say ‘yeah, well [qualifying for the Champions League] is good enough’. It is very good, but because we were so close, we are very, very disappointed in this moment in time. We cannot change that.”
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