Who do Liverpool need to sign to retain the title? Keep up with all the Reds news with our free daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Steven Gerrard has warned Liverpool that their Premier League dream could perish in an instant.

The Reds' skipper admits that thoughts of collecting the club’s first title in 24 years keep flashing through his mind.

But Gerrard knows, from bitter experience, that just a single slip-up in the run-in will hand the ­initiative to Chelsea or Manchester City.

Liverpool face Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday and will go top with six games left if they avoid defeat, but Gerrard said: “The message has to be that we have won nothing yet.

“We are involved in the title race now, there’s no getting away from that, but, from experience, I know that you can never afford to get carried away.

“We are expecting a tough match against Spurs, but we are in one of those situations at the moment where we have to win every game. We have got to have a cup final mentality from now until the end of the season. There are seven games to go and we have to try and win them all.

“I try not to think too much about what’s at stake.

"Don’t get me wrong, winning the title flashes in and out of my mind from time to time. But I am experienced and I know this is a ruthless league.

“One bad performance or one bad error could lead to a draw or defeat — so that’s why we have to all stay focused and just think of the next game.”

Liverpool hammered Spurs 5-0 at White Hart Lane in December, but Tim Sherwood’s side are a force to be reckoned with on the road.

Gerrard said: “It will be a tough game against Spurs. They have been one of the strongest teams in the Premier League away from home this season.

“They have had a bit of criticism for how they’ve played in front of their own fans, when the pressure has been on them, but they are certainly a good team on the road.

“And, because they have had no midweek game, they will be fresh. We have struggled over the years at Anfield when we have played against sides we were expected to beat comfortably or when we didn’t have much to play for.

“But we know the prize for us at the end of this season and we know we can’t afford to ­under-perform, take anyone lightly or go into the game with the wrong mentality. If we do that, we will slip up, for sure, and then we will be out of it.”

Gerrard believes the youth of Brendan Rodgers’ squad could give them an advantage in the final analysis.

He added: “The games are coming thick and fast, so there is no time to think.

"That’s not such a bad thing when you’ve got a young team. When you have too much time to think about it, that’s when you start asking yourself, ‘What if?’

“If anything, it should be me who is anxious, because I am the one who is running out of time for the title.

“But it’s important that the more experienced lads help the younger ones keep their feet on the ground and stay humble. We have terrific group of young players who have a fantastic future ahead of them.

“Chelsea are the prime example of what we need to be. They can steamroller teams and score heavily, but, when they need to, they show steel and determination and can win ugly.

“If we can get both those parts to our game going, then I’m sure we will go very close.”