Jordan Henderson refusing to rule out top-four finish for Liverpool

Vice-captain Jordan Henderson has conceded that Liverpool's heavy defeat at Arsenal was simply "not good enough", but believes that a top-four finish is still on the cards this season.

The Reds missed out on the chance to close the gap on the fourth and final Champions League berth as they fell 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium to see their European ambitions take another dent.

Three goals in eight minutes at the end of the first half sent Arsenal on their way, and Henderson acknowledged after the game in North London that his side need to improve defensively in the coming weeks.

"To concede three goals in such a short space of time is not good enough," the England international told the club's official site. "Our one-v-one defending needs to be better. I'm sure we'll work on that in training.

"We've just got to be a little bit more aggressive, defensively, and then also in the final third, be more ruthless. We knew it was going to be difficult [to finish in the top four], even before we came here, but it makes it even more difficult.

"That doesn't mean we'll just give up. We've got seven games left now and we need to try to win every one. If we do that, then you never know."

Liverpool are now seven points adrift of Manchester City in fourth place, ahead of their next league outing against Newcastle United.