Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said that he is the only person who take the blame for the Reds’ 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on Thursday night, a result that leaves the reigning champions 22 points adrift of leaders Manchester City and four points away from the top four.
Mason Mount scored the only goal of the game for Chelsea shortly before half-time, with Liverpool only managing a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes.
“It is a massive blow. It is not done yet, but we don't have to talk about if you lose that many games, you don't have the right to go to the Champions League,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“I try to be as honest as possible, I told the boys what I saw tonight. It's not that we go for any kind of excuses in this moment. These games are decided in moments and to get these moments back you have to fight and sometimes at a different level.
“It's not about tactics. It's about being resilient and heart. We won't blame the circumstances. There is only one person to criticise. That is me and us. That is what I told the boys.”
Since the turn of the calendar year, Liverpool have taken just a single point at Anfield in the Premier League, which three fewer than any other club in the division. They have also only scored once in those six games, a goal which proved to consolation in a heavy defeat by Manchester City.
It's also the first time in the club's history that they have lost five games in a row at home.