Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet has admitted that he didn't expect that his side to be competing for the Premier League title this season.

Brendan Rodgers's team are unbeaten in the league since the turn of the year, which has seen them surge up the table into second just behind leaders Chelsea.

"As a football player you always aim the highest, but I didn't expect we would be playing for the title. Liverpool has a tradition, but there was always a gap with Chelsea, Man United and Man City the previous seasons," he told Het Laatste Nieuws.

"At this moment we have to stay calm. We still have 10 games to go. We are second, but the race still can end either way. We hope we'll be contenders until the end."

Liverpool face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.