Dejan Lovren has said Liverpool's Premier League title hopes are very much intact despite Monday's 2-2 draw with Sunderland that "felt like a defeat."
Jurgen Klopp's side squandered the chance to cut Chelsea's at the top of the table ahead the Blues' encounter with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
Jermain Defoe's second penalty of the afternoon earned a vital point for Sunderland, but Lovren believes Liverpool are still title contenders as they prepare for huge league meetings with Manchester United and Chelsea later this month.
"It felt like a defeat, especially after beating Manchester City," Lovren told the Liverpool Echo. "But we have to keep our heads high. A point is better than nothing.
"There is still half a season to go. There are so many games in front of us and in front of Chelsea. We just have to concentrate on ourselves.
"We will have more ups and downs throughout the season. We need to learn from the mistakes we made against Sunderland.
"I'd prefer we took the three points and reduced that gap by more but we need to keep moving on.
"We have some really big games in front of us. I'd say we like to play against the big teams. There's a lot to play for."
The Reds centre-back admits he was physically feeling the strain, with the trip to the Stadium of Light arriving less than 44 hours after their win over Manchester City on New Year's Eve.
Klopp revealed he gave the option for his players to sit out Sunderland match, but no one informed him that they could not play.
Lovren has questioned the decision to schedule fixtures so close to each other, but refused to use it as an excuse for Liverpool's disappointing performance in the north east.
"Physically, it was really tough," Lovren continued. "Of course it was the same for Sunderland as it was for us.
"It's not possible to play two games at a high level in the space of just two days, especially as our first one was such a massive game against Man City when we were running everywhere.
"I don't know why the fixtures are arranged like that. But I don't want to talk about that. I don't want to look for excuses. It is what it is."