Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp told his side to stop behaving as if they had attended a funeral after a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday dealt a serious blow to their title challenge and handed the advantage to Manchester City.
Luis Diaz rescued a point for Liverpool as they went top of the Premier League on goal difference but City can open up a three-point gap with a win against Newcastle United on Sunday.
"First and foremost we should stop behaving like it is a funeral," said Klopp. "I didn't say that to the boys but it's a little bit the mood here. We still talk about football and these kind of things can happen. In my life, much worse things happened and I'm still here."
The German added that he did not expect champions City to slip up with four matches remaining.
"The only chance we have is if something goes our way. Imagine City lose, I can't see it, but imagine if they do and we lose it (the title) because we don't believe any more. That would be crazy," said Klopp.
"My problem is not City against Newcastle, it is that we play against Aston Villa on Tuesday."
Liverpool, who have already won the League Cup, are chasing a quadruple of trophies this season after reaching the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League.
Abhishek Sharma's 19-ball fifty went in vain as world champions India were surprisingly beaten by Ireland for the first time in international cricket, slumping to a 34-run defeat in the first Twenty20 in Belfast on Friday.
American great Serena Williams will face Australian 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round of her eagerly awaited return to Wimbledon, a potentially tricky tie for the seven-time champion playing at the tournament for the first time since 2022.
Australia booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Thursday after a cagey draw against Paraguay, who are set to qualify as a third-placed finisher, while Turkey beat USA 3-2, scoring the winner with virtually the last kick of the match.
The Netherlands scored two goals in the first seven minutes of the first half en route to a 3-1 victory over Tunisia on Thursday night in Kansas City in Group F, while Japan and Sweden drew 1-1 in Texas.
Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece said all Ecuadoreans have a lot to celebrate on Thursday after the country's biggest World Cup result ever, coming from behind to beat Germany 2-1 and advance to the knockout stage.