Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has admitted that his side must put together a consistent run of form if they are to have any hope of finishing in the top four.
The Reds have endured a frustrating start to the year, winning just three of their last 13 games to exit both domestic cup competitions and fade out of the Premier League title picture.
Saturday's 3-1 victory over Arsenal put them back on the winning trail, but Wijnaldum acknowledges that a failure to get the job done against the division's so-called lesser sides may come back to haunt Liverpool come the end of the campaign.
"Is it about pressure? You have more pressure in the bigger games than the smaller ones and we deliver in the bigger games," he told reporters. "We have to make sure at the end of the season, we are there [in the top four].
"We have to have a good run and be confident we can finish in one of the spots but if we are going to do it like we did before, playing well and then playing bad again, then it is going to be tough for us to come in the top four.
"You can't afford to lose games. It is always possible that you will not win but it is the way you play the game. You must play with the same intention: to win the game and give everything you have."
Liverpool are back in Premier League action next Sunday with a home match against Burnley, before turning attention to a crunch clash with top-four rivals Manchester City.
Daniel Lewis
