The Northern Irishman is remaining upbeat on his side’s hopes of being crowned champions come May – despite consecutive league defeats

Brendan Rodgers believes Liverpool’s home form will be crucial to the club maintaining their Premier League title bid.

The Merseysiders have travelled to Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton already this season but have only taken four points from those five matches.

Consecutive defeats to City and Chelsea have seen Rodgers’ side drop from top on Christmas day to fifth in the table, six points adrift of leaders Arsenal. The Northern Irishman, though, has not ruled his side out of the title race and feels Liverpool’s home matches will prove crucial, with all of the above sides yet to visit Anfield.

“I think it’s (the title race) open,” he said after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge. “What I’m looking forward to is we have to play every team (at the top) except Manchester United at home.

“We’ve had a real tough run, all the games – Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Everton – all of them away from home.

“Anfield’s a tough place to come. We have to play all of them at home; it’s still very much open. We were top at Christmas, a few days later we’re fifth, that’s how it will go between now and the end of the season.”

Liverpool currently have 36 points from 19 league fixtures, which represents their best tally at the halfway stage since the 2008-09 campaign, in which they finished the season as runners-up. Hull City travel to Anfield on New Year’s Day.