Steven Gerrard has admitted the Liverpool squad has been suffering from a hangover following their FA Cup semifinal defeat against Aston Villa at Wembley last month and has not completely given up on securing Champions League football for the Reds next season.
Brendan Rodgers' Reds had high hopes of making it through to the final against Arsenal later this month, but they were well beaten by a revived Villa side, and Gerrard conceded that the defeat has left a lasting impression on the Liverpool players.
"Everyone wanted it desperately: to reward the fans with an FA Cup Final," Gerrard stated after he scored Liverpool's winning goal in last Saturday's Premier League win against QPR.
"I suppose in the last couple of performances we've had a bit of a hangover from that setback. It was a huge disappointment at Wembley, but when you play for a big club you've got to get over it, move on and look to the future.
"Hopefully next year this team and club can compete for all the trophies available."
The FA Cup exit was Gerrard's final chance to lift silverware as Liverpool captain before moving to LA Galaxy this summer, with the veteran skipper eyeing an improbable end-of-season success story at Anfield after the Reds moved to within four points of stuttering Manchester United in the race for Champions League qualification.
"I'm sure the manager's already got one eye on next season, but these games are still important," he continued. "You represent Liverpool Football Club, so you want to win them all and we want to keep pressure on the teams above. If they do slip up in a couple of games, we've got to be ready to pounce."
Meanwhile, Gerrard admitted he was already looking forward to his final appearance at Anfield in two weeks time, with Crystal Palace in opposition for Liverpool's final home game of the season.
"I'm really looking forward to my last appearance here in a couple of weeks," he added. "It's going to be emotional for myself and my family, but I'm really looking forward to it."