James Milner admits he will feel sick if Liverpool miss out on the Champions League.
Milner missed a second half penalty which saw the Reds slump to a draw with Southampton which saw them lose ground in the battle for a top four finish.
Should Jurgen Klopp’s side win their remaining two Premier League games against West Ham and Middlebrough, a return to Europe’s elite is guaranteed.
But a third successive game without a win has seen any potential slip-ups threaten to condemn them to another season competing in the Europa League.
Asked how he would feel if Liverpool finished fifth, Milner replied: “Sick.
“This is a team and a club that needs to be in the Champions League. We will be in Europe but the Champions League is where everyone wants to play.
“For the chances that we haven’t taken – this was another big moment in terms of missing the penalty.
“There was a lot riding on it and I have to take the responsibility but hopefully we will get a bit of luck and finish the job.
“We have made improvements this year and we know where we need to improve again.
“We have shown on any one day we can beat anyone so, if we could get in the Champions League, we know we could be a match for anyone.
“We have got to do it consistently. I don’t think we have been as up and down as last year.
“In the games we haven’t got the points we wanted we have dominated the game. We’ve dropped points where we shouldn’t have done.”