Klopp admits he is under 'pressure' ahead Merseyside derby

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists quadruple hopes will be dashed if they start to think too far ahead as the Reds prepare to welcome Everton to Anfield on Sunday.

And the Reds boss says a spirited second half of the campaign is down to the pressure they put themselves under in the first period when they trailed leaders Manchester City by 11 points at the start of the year.

Liverpool have dropped just four Premier League points in 2022 - in draws away from home to Chelsea and Man City - winning 11 of their 13 fixtures to re-establish a title race with Pep Guardiola's champions and the Reds are also looking ahead to an FA Cup final on May 14 as well as a Champions League semi with Villarreal over the next fortnight.

Having already picked up a record-breaking ninth League Cup at Wembley at the end of February, Klopp's men remain in contention to sweep the board this season, but the Reds boss says neither he nor his players are getting ahead of themselves.

"We don't go for four trophies because that would mean we think about four trophies, but we really don't," Klopp said. "It's just that we don't think about it. It's not that we plan for the Champions League final now, for example.

"We think about Everton and then we know we have a short spell, not a lot of time, to think about Villarreal and we are not making a second step before the first.

"That we have this kind of record is because we needed it and I don't think we could ever afford to drop points. We put ourselves under pressure and then we had to deliver.

"That is what the boys did and I didn't need the last few seasons to prove that, I trust this group more than I can say but it was never easy and that is the only thing we have to remember.

"It will not be easy this year, but the only way I know is to do it step by step and game by game. That is what worked for us in the past and that is what we try again. That's all."

Klopp's Reds entertain Frank Lampard's Blues in a game that could have huge ramifications at both ends of the Premier League table on Sunday afternoon. While Liverpool are hoping to usurp City and snaffle a 20th league title, their local rivals are battling for their safety in the top flight.

Klopp talked up the job Lampard performed at both Derby County and Chelsea prior to his late January arrival at Goodison Park and is expecting a tough examination of his own title aspirations in the 240th meeting between the two clubs.