Virgil van Dijk conceded Liverpool might be out of the Premier League title race after they suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Everton in Wednesday's Merseyside derby.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored in either half to give the Toffees their first win over Liverpool at Goodison Park since 2010.
Liverpool struggled to find a way through the Toffees' defence despite dominating for long periods, and the Reds' captain says they will not outlast Arsenal and Manchester City without major improvements.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Van Dijk said: "If we play like today, then we have no chance to consider ourselves in the title race.
"We have to just focus on the next game and that will be a tough one anyway, so we will see.
"We're very disappointed, in so many ways. I think everyone has to look at their own performances. Did they really give everything, and do they really want to win the league?
"We're still fighting and there are still games after tonight, but if we play like we did overall in the game today – not winning challenges and giving the referee a chance to give free-kicks like he did many times, then you have no chance to win the title."
2/3 - Liverpool have lost two of their last three Premier League games (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 42 matches in the competition combined (W28 D12). Stumble. pic.twitter.com/d23IdezLAw
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 24, 2024
Liverpool have lost two of their last three games in the Premier League and sit three points behind league leaders Arsenal, while City are just one point below Jurgen Klopp's men with two games in hand.
Klopp echoed his captain's disappointment with Wednesday's result, saying his side played into Everton's hands.
Klopp said: "In the second half we were emotional and in a rush, not really clear enough.
"Then we conceded a second goal with a routine they do the whole season – we knew the ball was going there, we just didn't defend it well enough.
"I didn't expect that performance, but it happened. It's not the greatest moment we're in, but you have to fight through it, use your moments to get your momentum.
"I can only apologise to everyone who is with us – it's hard for us but I know for our people it is especially hard. We should've done better, but we didn't and that's why we lost."
