Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted all hope is not lost in the Reds pursuit of the Premier League title, despite finding themselves nine points behind league leaders Manchester City at the turn of the calendar year.
The Reds lost their last league outing away at Leicester City 1-0, Mohamed Salah missing a penalty that eventually proved crucial as Klopp's men conceded ground in the title race.
They now sit third in the table, nine points adrift of City but also a point behind second-placed Chelsea, though Liverpool have a game in hand over both.
Pep Guardiola's City side have now won a staggering 10 consecutive matches, hitting form at just the right time to deal with the overwhelming amount of fixtures during the festive period.
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However, Klopp has explained that Liverpool need to shift their focus to remaining in touching distance of City by the time April rolls around, where any slip-up would then likely to be costly.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's huge trip to Stamford Bridge, the Liverpool manager explained: "You cannot win the league properly in the winter. It's unlikely but what City have now is a gap, they deserve it, but let's just give it a go.
"Only one team can be champions. A decisive moment in April, you have to be close enough then. So many games to play, oh my God.
"The only chance to catch anyone is to win the games. That is not so easy.
"Chelsea are a proper team, might have similar issues to us. It's a tricky place to go Stamford Bridge, you don't win with an average performance."
Reflecting on the defeat by the Foxes at the King Power, Klopp admitted he is expecting an emphatic response from his players.
"Today is the first session [since Leicester] where we didn't recover," the German added.
"We missed a pen, got in a rush, never had rhythm but we were not convincing enough. I expect a football reaction. I am pretty positive about the mentality of my boys.
"I know how we felt day after the Leicester game and I still felt the defeat. It's not bad, but we don't want to get used to it.
"As a person you want to show a reaction with your mates and team, that's exactly what we try."
Chelsea are one of the few teams to take points off of Liverpool at Anfield this season, a valiant performance from a 10-man Blues side held Klopp's men to a 1-1 draw.
A second successive defeat for Liverpool could all but spell the end of their title hopes, regardless of Klopp's optimism.
