Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has admitted that the club needs a 'small miracle' to secure Champions League football next season, but added that 'the window is still open'.
The Spaniard scored his first goal since moving to Merseyside last summer in Liverpool's crucial 2-0 win over Southampton.
The victory moves Jurgen Klopp's men into sixth place in the Premier League, six points behind Leicester in fourth.
While Thiago was personally pleased to open his Liverpool account, he was sanguine about the club's predicament.
'We are for sure not happy with the situation right now,' he told Sky Sports. 'But for the mood and the confidence for the next game, we’re happy with the win.
'It’s always a great moment when you score and help the team, but we have to keep fighting to the end to have a small chance (of Champions League football).
'Most important are the three points and we keep fighting for this small miracle we could have.
'I know that I’m not a specialist goal scorer but I’m trying always to be near the area, to make the last pass, to shoot. It’s my first goal but I hope it’s not the last.'
To stand any chance of getting into the top four, Liverpool must win their remaining four league matches, against Manchester United, West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
Given their shocking form since the turn of the year, Thiago said he appreciates the scale of the challenge but insists Liverpool will not back down.
'We try to be as objective as possible,' he said. 'There is a very small chance but I think we had chances in the past. The door sometimes closed for us but the window is open so we try to get through the window.'
That Liverpool find themselves struggling so badly having been Premier League champions last season has been difficult for the squad to deal with, Thiago revealed.
However, given the wider context of the past 18 months with the global coronavirus pandemic, the 30-year-old said he is retaining perspective.
'Yeah (it's been a tough season) for all of us,' he said. 'But we have the privilege to play this amazing sport and to keep playing in these kinds of stadiums against amazing teams.
'We have to be glad about our personal situations and try to be good for the fans.'
Source: m.allfootballapp.com