Carragher fears league title 'slipping away' from Liverpool

(Reuters) - Liverpool's title hopes are slipping away and the club may soon be drawn into a battle to secure a top-four spot instead of fighting to defend their Premier League crown, former defender Jamie Carragher said.

The champions suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by Burnley on Thursday, their first loss at Anfield in the league in almost four years. Juergen Klopp's side are without a win in five league games and sit in fourth place, six points behind leaders Manchester United.

"The title is slipping away," Carragher told Sky Sports.

"I think Liverpool in the next couple of weeks will start worrying about the top four positions rather than the title."

Liverpool, who have failed to score in their last four league games, have a daunting fixture list which includes matches against top four contenders Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Leicester City before the end of February.

Former Liverpool skipper Graeme Souness said the players have struggled with the pressure of defending their title.

"It's hard enough to win it. But to retain it and stay there, year in and year out, that's what makes you a special team and right now this Liverpool team are not up for that challenge," he added.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)