Brendan Rodgers plays down "must-win" tag on Arsenal game

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has played down the "must-win" tag attached to his side's trip to Arsenal on Saturday.

Rodgers's men lost 2-1 to Manchester United before the international break to leave them five points behind the Red Devils, who currently occupy fourth in the Premier League.

The Reds head to the Gunners looking to breathe life into their top-four push, but the Northern Irishman has claimed that the game won't be decisive over his side's chances.

He told reporters: "I think people might look at [the trip to Arsenal] as a must-win game. For me, it is a must-perform game, we want to perform well and we know that when we do that we've got every chance of winning, whether that's at home or away.

"We've had a long two weeks, it's probably one of the few games where after the international break we've had to suffer a little bit, because we didn't perform and lost, but there is extra motivation there to get something from the game and that is something that we clearly want to achieve.

"These final eight games are going to be exciting games and there is still every possibility for us to make the top four."

The defeat to United ended Liverpool's 13-game unbeaten run.